Disclaimer: All characters and settings are used here without permission.
"Ah! Megami-sama" (or "Oh My Goddess!") was created by Fujishima
Kosuke, and is licensed to Kodansha and AnimEigo. "Ranma 1/2" was
created by Takahashi Rumiko, and is licensed to Shogakukan Inc., Kitty, Fuji
TV, and Viz Communications Inc. "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" (or
"Sailor Moon") was created by Takeuchi Naoko, and is licensed to
Koudansha, TV Asahi, Toei Douga, and DIC Entertainment, L.P. "Forgotten
Realms" was created by TSR. Inc. and is owned by Wizards of the Coast. All
original characters belong to me. Please drop me a line if you want to use
them.

Chapter Eight

The world fell away and Ranma was left floating in eternity. He felt small,
weak, and completely exposed. All of his secrets, all of his faults, and all of
his dreams were laid bare for the universe to see. He saw himself for whom and
what he was… a petty, willful, little child. But, even amidst the harsh
reality of this truth, he felt loved in a way that he had never known before.

He watched his life play out around him. Every moment of damning weakness
and every moment of praise-worthy sacrifice was remembered, up until this very
moment — and then the universe went pitch black.

He lingered there, floating in the void, wondering if he had died and been
judged. If he had, then this was certainly not the good place. If there was
a hell, he supposed this would be it: a place of nothing. No light, no sound,
no company — just the awareness of an eternal never-ending darkness and
the memory that there had been, at one time, something more.

He was uncertain how long he drifted alone in the darkness, but the loneliness
and fear were starting to get to him. He was panicking, remembering the pit
and the sounds of the night from his childhood. Tears wanted to come, but he
held them in. He wasn't a kid any more, and he would face this like a man, no
matter how scary this was.

It was then that he saw a pinprick of light off in the distance. It grew
slowly, enveloping him in a bright warmth that made him feel strangely
complete.

"WELCOME, SON OF ADAM." The voice was soft and loving, filled with
an undertone of paternal delight and unconditional love. It was the voice he'd
always wished Genma would use.

"Are you God?" he whispered.

"I AM WHAT I AM, SAOTOME RANMA. ONE TRUTH AMONG MANY."

It wasn't an answer that Ranma readily understood, but that in and of itself
clarified the nature of the voice for the displaced martial artist.

"Am I dead?"

"NO. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?"

"I don't think so," he admitted nervously.

"THAT IS GOOD."

"Can you tell me what's going on? I mean, why I'm here and all?"

"I CAN. ARE YOU CERTAIN YOU WANT TO KNOW?"

"I think so. Yeah."

"YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY THAT FEW EVER RECEIVE."

"You mean all that stuff about me being a god and shi… er… uh… all
that stuff?"

"YES. THAT." There was a bright smile hidden behind the voice's
deadpanned reply.

"But I can't be a god. I mean I'm just a guy… a nobody!"

"YOU ARE HARDLY 'NOBODY', RANMA. YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED WORTHY OF THE POWER
AND RESPONSIBILITY YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN, AND THAT FACT, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE,
MAKES YOU SOMEBODY SPECIAL."

"But I don't want to be a god! I got enough crap… I mean… stuff
ta deal with in my life already!"

"WANT RARELY HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE RESPONSIBLITIES ONE MUST
CARRY, RANMA. YOU ABOVE ALL OTHER KNOW THE PRICE OF DUTY."

"You got that right…." Ranma mumbled under his breath.

He paused for a moment trying to think things through. Numerous run-ins with
Nabiki and Shampoo had taught him to be careful, but they also taught him not
to just roll over and give in where there might be a possibility of
negotiation. If there was a way for him to get out o this, then he was going to
take it. He cast his mind over the conversation again, looking for loopholes.

"Wait a minute! What do you mean, duty? I certainly don't remember
accepting any duty to no one!"

"DID YOU NOT YOU ACCEPT CORELLON LARAETHIAN'S GIFT?"

"Aw, crap! That sneaky bastard!" Ranma slapped his hands over his
mouth quickly and hoped that he hadn't offended.

He wasn't a very religious person, and given the way that the gods were playing
with his life he wasn't exactly certain that he wanted to be, either. Then again,
this… being… was saying that he was going to be a god,
presumably whether he liked it or not. Ranma guessed that sooner or later he'd
need to find religion… if it didn't find him first. Still, it wouldn't
do to tempt fate any more than he already had by shooting his mouth off.

"So by accepting the gift, I accepted the responsibility that went
along with it?" Ranma frowned. "But I didn't know what he was giving
me. That's got ta count for something!"

"TRUE. UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RENOUNCE THE GIFT
— OR PASS IT ON TO ANOTHER. HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU
HAVE CHANGED THE NATURE OF MYSTRA'S WEAVE, OR THAT YOU HAVE TAINTED SHAR'S
SHADOWS WITH YOUR LIGHT. IT WAS BY AND THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, SON OF ADAM, YOU
CHOSE THIS PATH."

"What do ya mean that I chose this path?" Ranma demanded angrily.
"I didn't ask ta be a god! I didn't know that any of this would
happen!"

"IGNORANCE CANNOT CHANGE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR BRINGING YOURSELF TO
THIS POINT. THIS PATH IS YOURS, RANMA."

"Well, I don't want ta walk this path any more! How do I get off?"

"THERE ARE MANY ROADS TO TRAVEL, AND ALL START WITH A SINGLE
STEP."

"I don't need Zen koans! Tell me how I can go back ta bein'
normal!"

"DEFINE 'NORMAL' PLEASE."

Ranma was certain that the entity was smiling at him.

"You know damn… er… I mean, 'darn' well what I'm gettin' at!
I want ta go back ta bein' like I was."

"YOU CAN NEVER MOVE BACKWARD IN TIME, RANMA. THE PAST IS SET IN STONE.
YOU CAN ONLY MOVE FORWARD. EVEN THEN, ALL ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE THEIR PRICE, ALL
JOURNEYS DEMAND SACRIFICE. TO FORSAKE YOUR DIVINITY WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO ABANDON
YOUR ART."

"Whaddaya mean 'abandon' my art?"

"YOUR ART IS AT THE HEART OF YOUR GODHOOD. IT WAS THE VEHICLE THAT SET
YOU ON THE PATH YOU NOW WALK. THROUGH YOUR ART, YOU TAPPED INTO MYSTRA'S WEAVE
AND SHAR'S ANTITHISIS. BY THE POWER OF YOUR ART YOU CLEANSED MYTH DRANNOR. IN
ORDER TO BALANCE THE SCALES, YOU WOULD HAVE TO FORSAKE THIS PRACTICE."

"There ain't no way I'm givin' up the Art! I've sacrificed too much for
it already!"

"THEN YOU MUST ACCEPT THE CALLING THAT YOU HAVE ASSUMED."

"C'mon! Gimme a break here! Can't ya just take the power back or
somethin'? There's got ta be a way around this!"

"NO. TAKING THE POWER BACK WOULD LEAVE A VOID IN CREATION THAT YOU NOW
OCCUPY. THE HONOR WAS GIVEN TO YOU, AND NATURE HAS MOVED TO ACCEPT YOUR PLACE
AND POWER. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, MANY CHOICES YOU COULD MAKE THAT WILL ALLOW YOU
THE FREEDOM YOU SEEK. THE QUESTION REMAINS, ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE
FOR THAT FREEDOM?"

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud! Just tell me already! What do I gotta do ta
get out from underneath this?"

"WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO FILL THE VOID YOU WOULD LEAVE?"

"I don't know… there's gotta be someone else that can do the
job."

The world shifted, and the light changed to become an ancient temple floating
in a maelstrom of opposing forces. It was maddening to try and catalogue everything,
from the impossible architecture to the strange elemental storms that raged
around him, so Ranma chose to focus on the massive stone tablets floating above
an altar at the center of the temple. Near the altar, a number of shadowy figures
stood looking up at the tablets. The majority of them were female, not that
gender really had any meaning in a place like this, but Ranma noted one or two
that looked… or rather… felt… more masculine. The closer Ranma
came to them, the more familiar a number of them became. Two women in particular
stood out. Both had dark hair, but that was where the resemblance ended.

"Oi! I know you! You were in that crazy dream I was just having!"
He blushed deeply at the rather… nice… memories of all that had happened in
that dream. Man, Akane was going to kill him!

One of the women stepped forward. She was beautiful, if one could use that
word for someone so perfectly proportioned. Her dark hair danced in a silent
breeze, and her radiant skin glowed in the light of eight silver stars that
orbited her head.

"It was no dream, Ranma Saotome." She smiled lovingly at him and
he felt suddenly chill. Echoes of memories danced in his mind… things about
her that he knew weren't there before. He felt connected to this woman, as if
she were a part of him that had been missing for a very long time.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"I am the Weaver, the Road Ascending, the One True Way. I am the Mother
of All Magic, the Lady of Mysteries, the Breath of Creation." Her smile
changed slightly, becoming… well… more mysterious as she stepped closer.
"I have many names, but I am most fond of Mystra."

"Mystra… Huh." Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Mystra,
I guess I owe you an apology for, you know, messin' with yer weaving and all.
I don't know how ta fix what I did but, I mean, I ain't cut out ta be a god.
You know?"

Mystra smiled and trailed her fingers over his cheek affectionately. Ranma
shivered at the sudden excitement that little touch caused in him.

"IT IS NOT PERMITTED."

If anything could be considered a wet blanket, that statement was. Not only
that, but it pissed Ranma off to no end.

"What?!" Ranma roared at the chaos above him. "Why not? You
said that I had to find a replacement! Well, she's as good as any here!"
The voice above him did not answer, but Mystra stepped forward drawing his
attention back to her.

"It is the price that I must pay for my own folly, Ranma. I broke Lord
Ao's law, and therefore I must embrace the consequences for my actions. Part
of that is giving up the power that you now possess."

"Well, that sucks," Ranma groused.

He looked around the crowd until his eyes fell on the other woman that
seemed familiar. She was tall, maybe seven to eight feet, with a lithe and
powerful dancer's figure. Her skin was jet black, and Ranma could have sworn he
saw tiny fields of stars twinkling back at him. The costume she wore left little
to the imagination, and the subtle sensuality that she exuded made Ranma blush.

"What about you? You want the job?"

She looked hopeful and started to nod.

"SHE IS FORBIDDEN."

"Man! You ain't helpin' me here!" Ranma growled.

Why was it that it was always so easy to get into trouble, but so damn hard
to get out? He scanned everyone and shook his head. The woman black-skinned
woman looked both angry and sad at Ao's declaration. The glare she leveled Ranma's
way reminded him of Akane for some reason.

"Well, shoot! Is there anyone here that can take the job?"

No one spoke or moved forward, leaving Ranma to hang his head in defeat.

"Well, suppose that would be just too easy, now wouldn't it?" He
sighed and then squared his shoulders. He looked up into the maddening maelstrom
and shook his finger at it. "I sure as heck ain't gonna take this lyin'
down! You hear me? There's gotta be someone out there besides me that can do
the job."

"I'm certain there is, Ranma." Mystra slipped her hand in his and
lead him over to the tablets. "In the meanwhile, you will just have to
carry the burden until you find someone worthy of assuming the mantle. Who
knows, maybe the life will grow on you."

"Fat chance." Ranma sighed and looked up at the "sky"
again — it was an ocean of water now. He wracked his brain for a solution, and
his mind drifted to all the other crap he'd been saddled with. On the one hand,
the idea wasn't so bad. As a god he didn't have to worry about honor pledges,
curses, fiancées, or any of the fat Panda's garbage. On the other hand, he also
had no idea how to be a god. What if he screwed up?

"Fine. You win. But I don't want no freebies here. Can ya put some sort
of whammy on me that'll let me grow inta this power until I find someone ta
take over for me? I need ta be able ta do this slowly, otherwise I'm gonna go
nuts trying ta take it all in." Ranma frowned. "Hell, it might
already be too damn late for that."

Ranma reflexively slapped his hand over his mouth again. Mystra coughed at
his side nervously and looked as if she wanted to slip away from Ranma's
general vicinity. He felt a sudden tingle of anxiety shoot through his body and
shivered a bit.

"SO BE IT."

Ranma sighed involuntarily, thanking whatever powers that be for not being
smited… or smote… or whatever they called it.

The raging torrent flowing through him slowly calmed. It was as if a dam was
suddenly erected to hold the immense power and awareness at bay. He hadn't even
realized the power had been there until it was restrained. He still felt stronger
than he should have been, and he knew it would take a lot of time to adjust
to this new level. That, in and of itself, was one of the only positive things
to this whole mess — he didn't need an incentive to train, but any excuse
to get stronger was readily embraced.

"So, what do I gotta do between now and the time I find my heir?"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, I know there's gotta
be more ta all this than just a power-up."

The golden-skinned goddess, Kihon'i, waved her hand and a smaller set of tablets
appeared before the larger ones.

"Here are the rules that you need to abide by."

"I ain't much for reading right now." Ranma rubbed his temple. He
had a headache the size of Honshu and just the thought of reading made him want
to puke. "Can ya give me the rundown?"

"Basically, you're in charge of certain aspects of Reality. Lord Ao's
set it up so that most of the stuff you're responsible for will take care of
itself until you grow into your role. However, there will be some things that
you will need to address personally."

"Like what?"

"First off, you're going to be responsible for answering the prayers of
your followers."

"Prayers? Followers? Since when do I have followers?" Ranma
blinked. "Whoa! Whoa! You mean I'm gonna have people making shrines and
temples to me, and pesterin' me fer crap all day long?"

"Not right off the bat, no." Kihon'i smirked. "It's something
that you'll work into."

Ranma sighed in relief.

"Good. I don't want people ta pray ta me! That's just creepy."

Mystra laughed and patted his arm.

"Until you manage to find an heir, Ranma, you are a god. Gods need worshippers
to live. So, if you want to live, you need people to pray to you."

The martial artist turned god threw his hands into the air. This just kept
getting better and better.

"Aw, man! This sucks!"

"Do you know how many people would love to change places with
you?" Kihon'i asked incredulously.

"Can ya give me a list of names?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"Trust me, none of them would do the job half as well as you." Mystra
smiled, and Ranma noted that one of the other gods… a silent, pointy eared
man with gold hair, smirked and nodded his agreement. Ranma narrowed his eyes
at the elf god and growled darkly, fingering the silver torque around his neck.
Shadowy memories started to solidify and crystallize in his mind. The weird
dream that wasn't a dream came into focus, and the conversation outside of his
"castle" took on a whole new light.

"You son of a…! You didn't tell me this was my ticket to
godhood!" Ranma stabbed a finger at the silver torque and a blue nimbus
erupted around his body. Mystra quickly placed a comforting hand on his
shoulder and moved in front of him to draw his attention away from the suddenly
sweating elf god.

"We didn't have time to give you all the details, Ranma. You were
pulled away from us before we had a chance to explain what was involved in the
gift."

Ranma snorted and looked back at Corellon suspiciously before nodding. "Whatever."

"It's not as bad as it seems." Mystra took up his hand and smiled
demurely. "If you'd like, I will help you adjust."

Ranma looked into her dark eyes and swallowed at the beauty and mysterious
promise he found there. The memories of the dream… or whatever it was… rose
unbidden in his mind's eye, causing him to blush uncomfortably. As far as
"first times" went, it hadn't been anything like he dreamed of. For
one thing, he was still alive and in one piece.

Damn it all! The other girls were going to kill him!

He shook his head and tried to push the memories of the experience aside,
which was harder than it seemed. Damn it, he needed to get back on track here.
He was sure that there was more to Mystra's offer than just wanting to help. He
wasn't sure he was all that opposed to the idea either, and that scared him. Rather
than follow those ideas any further, he focused instead on her next words.

"I've already placed your symbol in some of my temples. You will hear
the prayers of the faithful, and after a time you will become used to their
petitions."

He nodded and sighed.

"Is there anything else I gotta know about?"

"Of course there is, but you wanted to grow into it. Right?"
Kihon'i smiled and tapped the Tablets of Fate, causing them to glow for a
moment. When the glow faded, a miniature replica floated before her. She
stepped forward and pushed the tiny stones into Ranma's chest. The young god's
eyes bulged.

"Whoa! I know… a lot."

She placed one hand over his heart and patted his cheek with the other.

"Well, we aim to please. It's all in here now, sport. Good luck!"

"No joke," he whispered. "Man, that was weird."

Mystra and some of the other gods laughed.

"LET IT BE UNDERSTOOD."

He felt, for the first time in his life, as if someone trusted him
implicitly.

"YOU ARE NO LONGER RANMA SAOTOME, SON OF GENMA AND NODOKA. YOU ARE NO
LONGER A PART OF THE MORTAL WORLD. UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS THE MANTLE IS PASSED
ON TO YOUR HEIR. YOU ARE AND WILL FOREVER BE A CHILD OF AO. YOU ARE BOUND TO
THE LAW, AND THE LAW IS BOUND TO YOU. HONOR THIS CALLING AND YOU SHALL FIND
JOY AND FULFILLMENT."

Ranma watched as many of the gods and goddesses cheered and applauded him.
It was both weird and kind of nice to be recognized in this way, but it still
left Ranma feeling awkward and embarrassed. Faces blurred as the other deities
welcomed him with slaps on the back and kisses on the cheeks. Invitations of
all sorts were extended and a few of the whispered ones left Ranma blushing
like there was no tomorrow. One by one the other deities faded from view, until
only Mystra and three others lingered. The overwhelming presence of Lord Ao
also retreated, leaving Ranma feeling strangely empty. It was one more curious
sensation among a multitude of curious sensations.

The black-skinned goddess sauntered over, eyeing Mystra and a white-haired
goddess hatefully. Ranma had been around enough attractive women in the last
few years, not to mention being one himself from time to time, that he'd become
somewhat desensitized to the female form. However, the black-skinned goddess
made Shampoo, Nabiki, and Miss Hinako look like the Old Ghoul. The way she moved
made his whole body tingle in anticipation of hinted promise, and the roll and
sway of her hips sent shivers up and down Ranma's spine.

He'd heard the saying about the deer and the headlights, but up until that
moment it hadn't really made any sense. Now though, Ranma felt he knew just
how the deer felt when faced with mortal danger. It was a deadlock as his fight
or flight instincts worked overtime against his newly-awakened libido.

As the Dark Goddess seemed to mold herself against Ranma's side, Ranma noted
that her body was both warmer and more inviting than he expected. Her eyes were
cold and distant though, which was enough of a turn-off to keep Ranma from falling
to his knees before the goddess.

"Welcome to the family, Ranma," she purred. Her fingers traced interesting
little designs over his chest.

"Th-thanks." The young godling swallowed hard, trying hard to control
the flood of ideas and images pouring through his mind involving the goddess
pressed against him.

"Not ta be rude or nothin', but can you…" He swallowed hard
and gently gripped her wrists. "…can you please stop? I mean…
we ain't even been properly introduced!"

Not that this had really been an issue between him and Mystra, but still! He
wasn't going to be a pervert! The Dark Goddess laughed. It was a deep, velvety
tone that promised pleasure on so many forbidden levels it was indecent. Ranma
shivered again and began chanting the suppression mantra Guru Thammadi taught
him when he was thirteen. It wasn't really working all that well, though. Maybe
the Soul of Ice? The Light in the Void? Gah! Something had to work!

Pops in a Speedo. Pops in a Speedo. Pops in a Speedo.

Wait. The goddess was talking again. Ranma focused in on the words, hoping
that they would distract him from the sensations the deity's wandering hands
were eliciting in him.

"…am the Night. I am the Dark Goddess. I am known to many as the
Lady of Shadows and Loss, but you… you may call me Shar."

"Perhaps I can tempt you to visit me? We've much to discuss now that you
control my Shadow Weave."

Ranma grinned uneasily and nodded, trying to ignore the possessive look in
the goddess' dark eyes.

"Sounds fun," he squeaked.

"Undoubtedly. I can guarantee that it will be a dream come true."

Ranma wasn't so sure about that, especially considering how hungry Shar
sounded. He closed his eyes as she lightly trailed her fingers up Ranma's
chest, throat, and chin seductively. Years of inhibited hormones and a
seriously repressed libido continued to battle for dominance with Ranma's
imposing sense of self-preservation. It was a much longer conflict than normal.

"Leave off, Shar." A cool, commanding voice cut through Ranma's
pleasurable haze. "There are others who wish to offer welcome to young
Ranma."

Shar glared hatefully at a very familiar white-haired woman. The woman's
matronly smile did not waver under Shar's reproachful glower. The goddess of
night looked back at Ranma and drew close, her lips barely brushing his ear.
Her breath was warm against his neck as she wrapped a shapely leg around
Ranma's thigh.

"A bit of advice, love. Be mindful of those who welcome you with soft
smiles and false promises." Shar slowly disengaged herself from his side,
pressing herself closer before fully retreating. "Every god and goddess
has their own agenda, and would seek to use you for their own personal gain."

"You chief among us, Shar," Mystra growled from behind Ranma.

"You wound me, Mystra!" Shar sneered.

"If only it were so."

Ranma fidgeted. This was starting to feel all too familiar.

"Perchance, the Mother of Magic is jealous?" The Dark Goddess
started forward, wrapping her arms around Ranma possessively. Mystra's eyes
narrowed dangerously, and Ranma felt a cold tingle build under his skin.

The martial artist turned god shook his head violently, causing Shar to
frown.

"No? Then maybe I could be your toy…." Ranma shivered at the
way the goddess started nuzzling his neck. "I can think of a number of
games you could play with—"

Shar's voice was suddenly silenced and Ranma felt her arms go slack. He blinked
as she was forced to step back by a long, very deadly-looking blade pressing
against her nose. It glowed with a silver light and seemed to hum coldly.

"It is clear that Ranma is not interested in your offer, dear
Shar." Ranma followed the length of the blade back to its owner and was
surprised to see a very serious Corellon Laraethian staring down at Shar.

"Mind your business, Elf Lord!" Shar hissed.

"Ranma is my business, Lady of Loss." The father of elves cocked
his head and smiled fiercely as he lowered the long sword from Shar's nose.
"As the newest member of the Seldarine, his interests and well-being are
my own. So, I would kindly suggest you follow lovely Selune's earlier
suggestion and leave well enough alone."

"If he wishes me to stop, all Ranma has to do is ask. He doesn't need
you or anyone else to fight his battles for him." Shar smiled coyly at
Ranma and winked before turning back to the elf-god.

"That is true. Ranma can speak for himself." The Coronal of
Arvandor turned to Ranma. "So, Ranma. What say you? Do you want to dance
in the sheets with the Lady of Loss?"

"Um… well, that is…"

Damn it all! Why did this crap always happen to him anyway? He was sick of
being put on the spot like this, and the fact that the black-skinned chick was
like some unholy mix of Shampoo and Kodachi was creeping him out. He sighed and
shook his head. He knew from experience that she wasn't going to be the type to
quit just because he asked her to. It really didn't matter what he said in the
end — she had the same possessive look in her eyes that all his fiancées had at
one time or another. Screw it. He didn't need this crap right now. Best to just
be up front and get the pain out of the way. Maybe he'd get lucky and she'd
take the hint right off?

"Look… Shar. I appreciate the offer and all, but now's not the best
time."

"You are rejecting me?" Shar's eyes narrowed.

"Now, don't go puttin' words inta my mouth!" Ranma felt the goddess'
anger building and winced. No matter how nice he tried to be about these things,
everyone always went off the deep end. "You're pretty cute and if I wasn't
dealin' with so much other crap right now… Well, I just don't think it's
gonna work out, you know?"

Ranma's thought was cut off as Shar's eyes flared with a crimson light and
her skin went completely black, blotting out the tiny stars.

"You refuse the gift I so freely offer?" Shar growled.

"Um… Well, yeah… for now… I guess." Ranma scratched
the top of his head. Jeeze! What was with this chick? Was she hard of hearing
or something?

"So be it, fool!" The goddess of loss narrowed her black eyes and
flared with power. "Deal with your troubles, and while you do… you
may deal with this as well!"

Ranma wasn't sure what she did, but he knew it hurt. There was an energy
spike and then a tearing sensation within him. There was no time to scream as
he saw himself literally split in twain. Under any other circumstance, he would
jump for joy at the sight of his female half being separated from him; but
there was something terribly wrong about how this was being done. He was losing
a part of himself… an important part of himself.

"Let this loss be a lesson to you, Ranma Weavebender! Perhaps next time
you shall not be so inclined to spurn the advances of Shar!"

He reached for his female half, desperately trying to hold himself together
against the inevitable. But, for all his power, and all his skill, he wasn't
quick enough. A portal of black lightning opened beneath both halves of him,
and he felt the world explode with pain. His voice found purchase at last, and
he cried out in agony as he watched the petite, pointy-eared redhead vanish
before him.

He struggled and fought against the undeniable pull as long as he could, reaching
out to Mystra and the blonde elf as they vainly tried to anchor him. As his
fingers slipped from the hands of the goddess, he heard her calling to him,
telling him that it would be all right, urging him to seek out his other half.

The portal closed, and then there was nothing but absolute darkness again.

Everlund

The arrival in Everlund along the Evermoor Way was shrouded in a steady downpour.
Dreary as the weather was, the group was happy and upbeat due to the fact that
they were over halfway to their destination. Civilization also meant warm beds
and warm baths, which was a big plus. They could already hear the bustling sounds
of the Bell Market in the distance, and the pulse of the merchant city was already
settling in Usagi's bones. Shandri and her family could only look out the windows
in open wonder, while Feldrin yawned from her dappled gray mare as she rode
beside the coach.

They had no sooner made their way through the southeastern gate, when a brightly
glowing, fiery sparrow zoomed into the carriage's window and alighted on Usagi's
outstretched hand. She squawked and tried unsuccessfully to rid herself of the
magical bird, before realizing that she wasn't getting burned. With a sigh and
an embarrassed laugh, she looked at Ulin for direction. The Genasi's face had
gone an interesting shade of green alabaster, which worried Usagi to no end.

"What do I do?" Usagi whispered,

She was afraid to move for fear of setting off some crazy trap spell like
the ones Ulin had been telling her about for the last day and a half. When Ulin
didn't answer, Shandri screwed up her courage and kicked the sorceress in the
shin, much to her mother's dismay and outrage. The only thing keeping Matron
Dunhill from unleashing hellfire on her daughter's backside was the flaming
sparrow preening itself on her Lady's fingers. Ulin blinked and looked at
Usagi's terrified face for a moment. She shook her head and tried to put a
comforting smile on her face. It didn't do anything to settle anyone's nerves
in the least.

"That would be from Queen Alustriel. State your name and official title
for the construct, and it should play its message."

"Sh-should?" Usagi whimpered.

"Either that, or it will explode and we all die a flaming death,"
Ulin deadpanned.

Shandri squeaked and her little sister started to cry. Usagi wanted to join
her, but closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She wanted to erect a
shield as Ulin had taught her, but didn't know if the close proximity of the
spell would set off the magic. She looked at the other in the coach and called
for Stedd to stop at the first available opportunity. Once the carriage had
stopped, Usagi urged everyone out and asked Ulin to cast a very power shield
around the coach to protect bystanders if this was something dire.

Shandri fought to stay in the coach with Usagi, but the Lady of Hemmerling
pulled rank on her handmaid and ordered her to protect her mother and sister.
Tears flowed down the girl's cheeks as she followed Usagi's command, leaving
the young woman alone in the coach. Once she was certain that all of her orders
had been followed, she took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"I am Serenity, Lady of Hemmerling, known to some as the Silver
Princess."

The fiery sparrow chirruped once, causing Usagi to nearly jump out of her skin.
As it was she cried out and scrunched her eyes shut. When nothing untoward happened
and all her body parts were still connected properly, she opened her eyes to
see the sparrow finishing morphing into a very familiar-looking woman.

"Mother?" Usagi whispered.

"Greetings to you, Serenity, Lady of Hemmerling, Silver Princess of the
North. I greet you, sister, from the throne of Silverymoon, with warm tidings
from the heart of the Silver Marches. Your coming was foretold to me, and my
court makes ready for your imminent arrival."

By this time, seeing that the threat was over, Ulin herded everyone back
into the carriage while the pleasantries were being exchanged. She silenced
everyone, in order to better hear the language of Alustriel's message.

"As you are hearing this, you are most certainly in, or near, the city
of Everlund. I have taken the liberty of arranging accommodations for you and
your retinue at Moongleam Tower, under the care and protection of Moonlord
Eaerlraun Shadowlyn. Upon your arrival to the city, please send word ahead that
he may make any final preparations for you and your company. He bears a letter
and vital information for you. Please reply as soon as convenient and let us
know of your intended arrival date. I am yours eternally. Alustriel."

The image of the beautiful woman bowed once before disappearing in a flash
of flame. Usagi looked at Ulin with more than a little concern. The Genasi bit
her lip and fairly ignored the stares everyone was giving her. Her normal confidence
seemed to return abruptly and she seized the opportunity that the silence provided
to work furiously. She dug into a satchel at her feet and pulled out some parchment
and the travel desk she had used quite often in teaching Usagi to read and write.
She scribbled a hasty note and secured it with rose-colored wax, pressing Usagi's
seal in the spell-heated wax to make everything official. She stuffed the note
into a lacquered scroll-case and held up her hand to forestall any of the questions
that were already bubbling forth from Usagi and Shandri.

"Viet!" The young man appeared at the coach's window.

"Here, milady."

"You are to go to Moongleam Tower and deliver this to the Moonlord
Eaerlraun Shadowlyn himself. No one else may open it or touch it. Tell them it
is magically sealed against intrusion if you have to. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lady Ulin." Viet bowed crisply as he took the scroll-case in
hand.

Usagi watched it disappear into his cloak and, just as quickly, the young
man vanished into the misty rain at a gallop. Ulin fell back into her seat,
damp and completely lost in thought. It took another jostle from Shandri to
pull the woman back to reality.

"Ulin, what is going on?" Usagi demanded. "What has got you
so worried?"

Ulin bit her lip again and bowed her head in thought. She absently began
toying with her hair, but made no immediate move to answer Usagi's questions.

"Ulin." Usagi tried to make her voice sound firm.

"Please, my Lady. There is much to sort through here and I am doing my
best to make sense of it. There were some troubling things in Alustriel's message.
Things that concern me."

"Like what? Talk us through it."

Ulin sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"What is the first rule of statecraft?"

"Nothing is ever as it seems," Usagi answered.

"Correct. Alustriel's message, like anything political, has more
beneath the surface than it actually says. There are a hundred ways to
interpret the words she used, but if we misinterpret their meaning…."

"Trouble?"

"With one of the Seven, you can be certain of it. Maybe not from
Alustriel directly; the tone of her response wasn't what I would expect from
her if she considered you a threat or an enemy."

"But if not from her, then who?" Shandri asked in a quiet voice.

"Everyone else, child. Everyone else."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Usagi demanded. She already hated
politics, and now that she was starting to see them from the inside out, that
sentiment was only growing.

"It means, dear heart, that Alustriel might not want to hurt, defame,
or kill you, but her enemies most likely will."

"This sucks!" Usagi pouted.

Ulin shrugged. "Such is the politician's life."

"This is insane. I never wanted to be a politician! All I want to do is
go home!" Usagi tossed her head against the back of the padded bench seat
and rubbed her face. "Okay. Give it to me straight. What does her message
really mean?"

"I came in at the end of your titles. Was there anything else said prior
to that?"

Usagi shook her head.

"No. Just my name and the titles."

Ulin nodded.

"Good." She tapped her chin with the quill she had used to write
the note to the Moonlord. "She used some very odd language that leads me
to believe that a much larger game is being played here, and you are a very
prominent piece on the board."

"How so?" Mrs. Dunhill asked.

"She called Usagi-chan 'sister' — an intimate form of address reserved
for equals. It is obvious that the events in Hemmerling and the mines have outpaced
us. She greeted you from the 'Throne of Silverymoon' and with tidings from the
'heart of the Silver Marches', making the missive officially a political greeting."

Ulin took a moment to close her eyes and then began to scribble out
something on her parchment.

"The next part was the clarion call of trouble. She made it known that
someone had already told her of your coming. The question is who told her, and
how did that person know of our intent?"

"Your family?" Usagi suggested.

"It's possible. Poor Hevig was certainly in a hurry to leave."
Ulin grinned at Usagi, who could only blush and grumble at the memory of the
Harpell whose bed she had woken in oh so long ago. "One of my relatives
might have called ahead, but this was prior to the events at the mines and in
Hemmerling. Something tells me that this goes beyond my family."

"Who else could it be?" Shandri asked.

"There are plenty of possibilities, and therein lies the problem. You
have the Harpells, for one. They have just as many eyes and ears in the North
as the Zhentarim. They have deep ties to Silverymoon as well. The issue at hand
goes much deeper than who alerted Alustriel of our 'imminent' arrival. She's
preparing her court to receive you as she would a foreign queen. This, in and
of itself, is going to make the people of Tradesburrow a bit nervous when it
gets back to them."

"Why?" Usagi demanded. "I mean, I'm not going to do anything
to them."

"You know that, and we know that, but they do not. With Alustriel's
apparent backing, the lands of Hemmerling and the surrounding wilds may very
well become your kingdom."

"Oh, this is just great! We need to send someone back to Tradesburrow.
We need to tell them that I'm not interested in becoming their queen!"

"We'll go ahead and send someone back with a message. But you must be
prepared for the idea that it might already be too late."

Usagi sighed and began to rub her temples. "Can this get any worse?"

"Of course it can." Ulin smiled mirthlessly. "Alustriel has
also arranged for us to be placed under the protection of one of Everlund's
most powerful defenders. This alone gives more credence that the Silver Marches
are backing your non-existent bid for the area surrounding Hemmerling."

"It also means that we're in some sort of danger," Usagi pointed
out. "Right?"

"Dear heart, we've been in danger since the initial meeting with Mayor
Thistlebuck and the late Master Hearthman. With Kelemvor's defeat and the death
of Olin Breambur, your notoriety is growing by leaps and bounds. Now you understand
why I've been insisting that we train and study so hard. It's also why I didn't
make a fuss when the Loras insisted on accompanying us. You are already gaining
enemies in high and low places, based solely on rumors alone."

Shandri's sister clung to Mrs. Dunhill.

"I am sorry if this all seems frightening, but now you understand why I
am so worried by Alustriel's message. The ramifications of this missive alone
are staggering, and there is most certainly more to all of this than we
currently know or comprehend."

"The letter this 'Moonlord' person has."

Ulin nodded. "Think carefully, though. That was not all that she said
he had for you."

"Vital information. She said he had 'vital information' for me."

"I'm glad that you were listening." Ulin rubbed her temples and looked
out into the rainy cobblestone streets of Everlund. Usagi pondered the woman's
posture, and while there was certainly enough to worry about, the Silver Princess
knew that something else was bothering her mentor and friend.

"There's more to this, isn't there?"

"Why do you say that?" Ulin didn't look away from the rain.

"Because of the way you reacted to Alustriel's sparrow. You knew it was
from her, but you were still afraid."

Ulin shrugged. "A cautious cat lives to eat fish another day."

"Did something happen between you and Alustriel?"

Ulin didn't answer right away. "The Seven Sisters and I have not always
seen eye to eye." The Genasi smiled softly. "Let us leave it at that."

Usagi was not going to let it go at that, especially since this might come
back and bite her in the butt if she didn't prepare for it beforehand. She giggled
mentally. Listen to her! Usagi Tsukino, preparing and thinking ahead for once…
who would have thought? If only her friends could see her now. She doubted that
they would recognize the girl she had been in the woman she was rapidly becoming.
She sighed and looked back to Ulin intently. "Will you tell me about it?"

"Another day perhaps." Ulin began toying with her hair nervously.

"Before we get to Silverymoon, at least?"

Ulin shifted in agitation and nodded curtly.

"Good enough." Usagi patted the jade-skinned woman's leg and
smiled encouragingly. "So, where do we go from here, Moongleam
Tower?"

Ulin shook her head.

"No. Lord Shadowlyn needs time, and we need money."

"Money?" Usagi asked. "What for?"

Ulin looked at Usagi like she had grown a new head.

"You don't expect us to go to dinner dressed as we are, do you?"

All the girl's eyes lit up with glee.

"You mean… we get to go… shopping?" Usagi asked reverently.

"What else would I mean?"

Usagi and Shandri squealed with delight and bounced in their seats.

"Before we do, however, there is something I need to ask Mistress
Dunhill."

Shandri's mother looked away from her daughter and upon seeing Ulin's stoic
face, her own smile vanished.

"In light of the danger, Mistress Dunhill, I would be remiss in not
offering you the opportunity to return to Hemmerling with young Dinah."

Usagi nodded her head emphatically. "Yes, Mrs. Dunhill. I wouldn't be
able to live with myself if you or Dinah were to get hurt."

"I thank you for your concerns, my Lady Serenity. Lady Ulin. But, where
my Shandri goes, we'll go. We're all the family each other has, and I'd like to
be close to my daughters." The finality in the woman's words left no room
for argument.

"I understand your sentiments." Ulin looked at Dinah pointedly.
"What about you Dinah? Are you going to go with us too?"

The little girl only grinned widely, showing off the wide gap in her smile.

"Well, then it is time to get some other things settled. As you are staying
on, I am going to put you to work. Mistress Dunhill, you are now the Matron
of Hands. You are responsible for all of Lady Serenity's personal needs: baths,
food, clothing, dressing, etcetera, etcetera. You are granted the power to hire
handmaidens and other help as needed, and you can expect that the servants of
those we will be staying with will look to you for information regarding Lady
Serenity's tastes and requirements. Any handmaids under your banner are your
responsibility and not only reflect on you, but on your Lady as well. I will
be helping you screen them, to ensure that we do not hire on any assassins,
but those that are hired are under your authority."

Everyone swallowed nervously at the thought of murderers disguised as
servants trying to kill Usagi.

"You will, of course, be paid a monthly stipend and have room, board,
and clothing wherever we travel. It is a great deal of responsibility, but I
am more than confident that you are qualified for the position. Are you willing
to pledge your services to the noble House of Serenity?"

Silea Dunhill bent forward in the coach and took Usagi's hand and kissed it.

"I swear on the name of my late husband, and in the name of Tyr, that I
will serve you faithfully, Lady Serenity, until you dismiss me or until I
breathe my last."

Usagi could only look on in shock at the declaration.

"Do you accept this humble servant into your employ, Lady Serenity? Do
you promise to uphold the terms stated and promise to protect this woman and
her children as if they were your own?"

"I promise." Usagi nodded and Silea Dunhill smiled at her
daughters.

"Now then. Shandri Dunhill. You have already given your pledge to our
Lady, protecting her with your life and assuming the station of Senshi in her
court. I now name you her Lady-in-Waiting, and bid you to act as her personal
shield at all times. Do you accept?"

Shandri mirrored her mother's earlier declaration and shared the tears in
Usagi's eyes when the Silver Princess accepted her.

"Lastly, we come to you, Dinah Dunhill." The little girl's eyes
were wide and animated as she scooted forward on her seat, waiting for Ulin to
speak. "I name you my aide. Will you help me keep Lady Serenity awake
during her lessons?"

Everyone chuckled as Dinah nodded.

"Will you make certain that Lady Serenity eats all her vegetables and
gets enough sleep at night? Will you help me make sure that she gets to where
she needs to be, and help me keep her House in order?" Ulin looked at her
seriously. "This means that you will have to lead by example — eating your
vegetables, bathing regularly, and getting enough sleep. After all, if we don't
do it, how can we expect others to?"

Dinah looked scared for a moment but Usagi's hand on her knee washed the
concern away.

"We will help each other, how does that sound?" Dinah nodded and
repeated the words her mother and sister had spoken. Usagi gathered her into a
warm hug and kissed her cheek. She was surprised that the gesture was returned
with just as much intensity.

"We are settled then. We will tie up the other loose ends as time permits."
Ulin thumped on the carriage's roof and called out to Stedd Greycastle to head
for the Bell Market. It was time for shopping, and pity any who stood between
the women and that goal.

Highden

The time leading up to the Festival of Creation was fast dwindling. Keiichi,
through the diligence of Sister Maerdith, had confirmed many of the suppositions
concerning the Norns' gifts to the young man. He didn't need to sleep any longer,
or to eat as much or as frequently as others, and his wounds healed incredibly
fast. He could read just about any language set in front of him, excepting the
language of Mystra. He had been confused about that until speaking with Father
Ellosin, who pointed out that the language of magic was guarded by the Goddess
of Mysteries herself, and could only be learned through her blessing and great
personal study. Keiichi accepted the explanation and moved onto more important
things. Namely, eating his carrots and green veggies.

The carrots made some serious strides in making his blue coloring diminish, to
which he was extremely grateful, even considering the large greenish-orange
splotches that were replacing the azure hue. Sure he looked like a huge,
polka-dotted rag doll, but it was better than looking like an overgrown Smurf.
The greens were having a serious affect on his hair growth after the first full
week of eating, forcing him to cut his rapidly regenerating, shoulder-length
hair every three days just to keep it out of his eyes. After the fourth
haircut, Keiichi had stopped bothering with it. Instead, he just pulled it back
into a ponytail and went about his business. It eventually stopped, or at the
very least slowed to a more natural growth pattern, which relieved Keiichi
greatly.

In pondering the madness that was Urd one evening, Keiichi had come to the
realization that the Norn of the Past wanted to ensure he ate healthy, if for
no other reason than to placate Belldandy's worries. It made it easier to
accept all the new strangeness about himself and the many setbacks that came
because of the Norns' gifts. Their concern, however overwhelming, was
comforting — which was something sorely needed as the days grew longer and his
attention was invariably drawn back to the mountainous problem of his
Ascension.

The thought of becoming a god, in word and deed, seemed so alien to him. In
truth, the whole concept seemed downright blasphemous when he really thought
about it. He was a mortal, and a fairly pathetic specimen at that. Urd,
Belldandy, and Peorth…. Shoot! In light of recent events and revelations,
even Skuld seemed so far above him in power and understanding that just
entertaining the prospect of someday being their equal was laughable. He was a
microscopic organism, when compared to the complexity and depth of their
existence. It really put his wish, and subsequently Belldandy's acceptance and
love for him, into perspective.

More often than not, the topic of his Ascension left him feeling empty and
depressed. He'd stopped studying the new notes after the fifth day, mostly
because the concepts presented were so far over his head that he had little
hope of ever understanding them. So, in order to fight the mounting
frustration, Keiichi threw himself into the creation of his
"Multi-environmental Transforming Automated Transport" or "METAT"
for short.

Working with his hands made him feel better, and he always seemed to have more
energy than he knew what to do with. So, the strides he made in the first week
after Skuld collected her book were phenomenal. He'd all but finished the design
and construction of METAT's main drive, and the frame for the exoskeleton. Had
it not been for the onset of mental fatigue and the sudden two-pronged assault
from Sam and Sister Maerdith concerning his eating habits, he was sure that
METAT would have been up and running by now.

The intervention of the women forced him to slow his pace more than a bit,
but he couldn't fault them. He knew that he was so close to burnout that their
intervention was actually welcome. It didn't hurt that Sam insisted Keiichi
come for dinner every night either. Good food was always welcome, even if you
didn't need to eat.

Keiichi looked over at Ruthart, who had become something of a minder and
assistant for Keiichi. Sister Maerdith and Sam were both unable to watch over
him every hour of the day, so Ruthart had been nominated for the job. Keiichi
had to admit that the young gnome was doing a great job so far — he'd made
himself all but indispensable. He watched over Keiichi like a hawk,
anticipating his needs and keeping Keiichi's workshop well stocked and in good
working order.

Keiichi looked over at the young gnome walking beside him and smiled. It was
hard to find good friends, but apparently, Keiichi was unusually blessed. As
they neared the Steelwater home, a feeling of dread washed over Keiichi. Thick
black smoke rose over the rooftops, painting a nasty smear on the golden clouds
dotting the evening sky. With a shared look of concern between him and Ruthart,
Keiichi began running.

The ring of the fire brigade's bells and the charge of imminent tragedy hung
in the air as the pair rounded the final corner and took in the furious inferno
that was the Steelwater home. Water pumps and bucket lines were everywhere;
some working on the house and workshop, others soaking the nearby houses and
businesses. Keiichi could only stare in terrible wonder at the sight, unable
to comprehend the devastation that had befallen his dear friends. Ruthart tugged
on his sleeve urgently and Keiichi responded by running to a stout gnome that
was issuing orders to the teams trying to contain the blaze.

"Are the steelwaters all right?"
he shouted over the roar of the flames.

The heat and intensity of the blaze was already affecting him. The gnome
nodded and pointed to a water wagon on the other side of the bucket line. Sam
was sitting on the ground, covered in soot and ashes, weeping as she watched
her home go up in flames. Seated next to her was Sister Maerdith, consoling her
as best she could. Keiichi scanned the crowds, watching in wonder and amazement
at the organized chaos of the firefighters. Their tools were just as loud as
the growl of the flames, and the water being pumped out of them was ingenious.
Keiichi's mind began breaking down the systems and improving upon them before
he caught himself and began looking for Duncan again.

When he finally found the dwarf, he was holding the end of a high-pressured
hose all by himself, trying to save what he could. Keiichi wasted no time in
running to his friend's aid. He picked up the slack of the taut hose and helped
secure it. Ruthart joined one of the bucket brigades and began tossing water on
the flames. The battle wore on for the better part of two hours, until Father
Ellosin finally arrived on the scene. The priest called upon the might of Oghma
to create a concentrated pillar of spiraling wind that sucked the flames high
into the air and distributed them among the clouds.

Keiichi marveled at the powerful display, as did many others, but most of the
people present could do little but try and hold their balance as the winds tugged
and pulled at them. The sudden lack of oxygen to fuel the fire caused the blaze
to gutter and die, but the fire marshal urged everyone to continue wetting down
the area, so that the flames did not rekindle themselves. It was sometime before
the inferno was finally put out, and during that time Keiichi just happened
to catch a glimpse of Haroun standing on the edge of the crowds smiling in deep
satisfaction. The manipulative little bastard was smug and more than pleased
about the situation, which sent up all sorts of red flags in Keiichi's mind,
but there was little he could do at the moment to confront the Gondar priest.
Little fires continued to crop up here and there among the smoldering coals
of Duncan's house, forcing Keiichi's attention back to the job at hand.

There would be time for retribution later. Right now, Duncan and Sam needed
him.

The night came and went, leaving the fire brigade and the volunteers
exhausted. The Steelwater home was a complete loss, leaving Duncan and his wife
homeless — something that Keiichi intended to remedy. Ruthart was sent ahead to
prepare a room in the workshop for the couple as soon as the markets opened,
leaving Keiichi to succor his distraught friends. He strode over to where
Duncan and Sam were huddled against a hose wagon and knelt before them.

"Ruthart is getting a room ready for you at my place." Duncan
nodded blankly. "I'll send Sister Maerdith to pick up some clothing for
you as well. Is there anything else you need right now?"

Duncan shook his head numbly. Keiichi motioned to Bertrold and Sister
Maerdith to help the pair back to the workshop cavern, while he turned to have
words with the fire marshal.

A week had past since the fire, leaving a pall over the seaside cavern. Duncan
had locked himself in his room and refused food or drink. Sam said he had begun
a fast to regain favor in Gond's eyes, but Keiichi knew that the dwarf's faith
had been seriously shaken. He didn't know how or why, but he could feel it.

The sudden sense of empathy that he had for his friend began to manifest itself
late in the week, as Keiichi began to miss meals too. By the tenth day, he had
locked himself in the workshop just as Duncan had retreated to the solitude
of his room. The state of things made everyone worry, but Keiichi's mind had
but one focus. Finishing his entry.

It wasn't that he wanted to win the competition. Well, that wasn't exactly
true. He wanted to win, but more for Duncan's sake than his own. Which was why,
after ten days of non-stop work, the Multi-environmental Transforming Automated
Transport was complete… or at least as complete as Keiichi could get it. The
body and engine were done, as well as the outer plating. The only finishing
touch to come up with was the A.I., and that would take some serious programming
to pull off.

He'd already made some strides in reading Skuld's notes on "Coding for
Creation," but he hadn't the time to put a proper computer together. This
was a conundrum, especially considering the fact that he only had one week to
go before the Festival of Creation. He had installed manual controls in the
METAT, but somehow he didn't think that would cut it for the competition. He'd
seen a number of Gondsmen trudging around town behind their Techsmith masters,
and while the METAT was far superior to these clockwork men, they had something
that Keiichi's creation did not: a semblance of life.

Given more time, he was certain that he'd be able to work out the code and
develop a fully integrated artificial intelligence; unfortunately there was no
more time. He needed a solution and he needed one now.

"What to do? What to do?" He sighed. "Come on! Think, Morisato!"

A loud, urgent, banging on the large double doors of the workshop interrupted
Keiichi's thoughts. The feel of the rapping was panicked and Keiichi found himself
leaping from his worktable in a rush. When he opened the door, Sam greeted him
with tearstained cheeks, and beside her was a familiar face that Keiichi didn't
think he'd ever see again. He ignored Kerden Blowbutton in favor of comforting
Duncan's wife.

"Sam? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Keiichi! It's Duncan!" she sobbed. "He won't wake up!"

Keiichi brushed between her and Kerden and rushed through the caverns to his
friend's room. He passed through the glass-roofed cavern that served as Sam's new
gardening room and then through the freshwater grotto that supplied water to
their home. By the time he reached Duncan's door, his concern grew. Ruthart was
standing outside the door with his face in his hands and his shoulders shaking.
Dread filled his heart as he passed the threshold and came upon a tearful
Sister Maerdith chanting prayers to Oghma over a very still body. Without
thinking he shoved Maerdith away and checked the dwarf for a pulse… and found
none.

"How long has he been like this?" He demanded. Maerdith scowled at
him and did not answer. Keiichi grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "HOW
LONG?"

"Just a couple of minutes…" she whispered.

He wanted to feel sorry for his actions, but he didn't take the time. He
tilted Duncan's head back to clear the airway and began CPR immediately.
Breath. Pump the blood. Breath. Pump the blood. Breath. Pump the blood.

"BREATH, DAMN YOU!" Keiichi roared.

He slammed his fists down on Duncan's chest with a loud "thump"
that startled everyone in the room. The dwarf gasped, drawing in a deep breath,
and rolled to his side and began coughing. Keiichi supported his friend,
cradling him against the hacking coughs that rocked his body.

"Ruthart." Keiichi motioned his shaken apprentice into the room.
"Help me get him on the bed."

They lifted Duncan carefully and with Sam's help, slipped him under the
covers. Everyone looked scared for Duncan and somewhat awed by Keiichi's action
of bringing the dwarf back from the dead. Keiichi feigned not to notice the
attention directed his way by Ruthart and Kerden, focusing instead on Sam and
Maerdith.

"He's going to be sore and hungry. We need to watch him and make sure
that he gets water. Call me if his situation changes."

Maerdith nodded.

"Me situation's already changed." Duncan's voice sounded like
tumbling gravel, but it was still one of the sweetest things that Keiichi had
heard. He smiled at the stoic dwarf and settled on the end of the bed.

"Are you through with all this drama? Some of us have work to do."

Duncan laughed and ended up slipping back into another coughing fit. By the
time it had run its course, Sam was already pushing a wooden mug of water to
his lips. He sipped slowly and nodded when he had his fill. The tension in the
air relaxed considerably and after a few happy pats on the shoulder, Sister
Maerdith and Ruthart left. Keiichi convinced Sam to go cook something up for
her husband, leaving Keiichi and Duncan to talk. Kerden, unbeknownst to the
pair, sat just inside the door wringing his hands and biting the end of his
curly yellow beard.

"So when are you going to join me in the shop?"

"I doubt I'll ever set foot in a shop again." Duncan sighed and
shook his head. "Gond has forsaken me."

"Nonsense!" Keiichi protested. "That can't be true."

"It is," Duncan contested. "I've been prayin' since the day
the challenge was set. I've made every sacrifice, and performed all the rituals
of inspiration known to the Gondar. In the end the answer is always the same:
silence."

"Why not use the Iron Horse? With a little polish and a new cushion for
the seat, it'll be good as new."

Duncan shook his head.

"What about your Gondsman? We were able to salvage it from the
fire."

The dwarf shook his head again.

"It needs to be somethin' new and unique. Somethin' that Mostana ain't
seen yet and that ain't been tainted by fire."

"Why? That doesn't make sense."

"To prove that I still have Gond's favor, lad. Somethin' that I most certainly
find meself lacking these days."

"I can't believe that Gond would have abandoned you." Keiichi ran
his hands through his hair and shook his head. "Besides, you've already
submitted your entry designs. Won't deviating from the plans count against
you?"

Duncan shrugged and allowed the silence to thicken around them. His voice
was laced with emotion when he spoke again.

Keiichi felt horrible at the thought that he'd hurt his friend in such a
way, but Duncan kicked him in the hip with his heel.

"Don't ye be assumin' nothin' Keiichi Morisato. The sin's me own and
there's none to blame for me predicament but meself."

"That is not entirely true, Builder Steelwater."

Keiichi and Duncan looked up at Kerden Blowbutton in surprise and
disapproval.

"What're ye on about, Artificer!" Duncan growled. Another coughing
fit came over him as Kerden stepped closer to the bed. When Duncan's fit was
over, the gnome sighed and pulled up a chair by the bedside.

"I am an Artificer no more, Builder Steelwater." Kerden hung his
head. "By my own actions have I forsaken the Church and been claimed by
another."

"I attempted to steal from good Master Keiichi, and in so doing I was
punished and claimed by one of his goddesses until restitution has been
made."

"What would possess ye to do something so foolish?" Duncan hissed.

"Haroun Mostana came to me with promises of wealth and glory and, in my
greed, I followed him in the hopes of either winning over Master Keiichi or
taking his secrets for our own."

"Thief!" Duncan growled with disgust. "And ye call me
heretic!"

"I have already been to High Builder Maverly with my crime, and my name
has been stricken from the records of the Church forever," He said sadly.
"But I did not come to speak about me; I came to give you a warning."

"A warning?" Keiichi asked.

"Yes. When Artificer Mostana left you that day, Master Keiichi, he was
incensed. Your loyalty towards Builder Steelwater drove his anger to new
heights. He vowed to win the competition at any cost, to punish you and Builder
Steelwater, going so far as cursing Master Duncan's altar, confounding his
prayers, and… and setting fire to his workshop."

Keiichi was glad that Duncan was still weak from his ordeal and not eating.
As it was, the young man had to almost tackle the dwarf in order to keep him
from throttling the frightened gnome.

"Ye knew! Ye knew, ye bastard son of an orc, and ye did nothing to stop
him!"

"Duncan calm down!" Keiichi struggled with the dwarf, but had
little success in soothing his ire. "Hear him out! He has to have a
reason!"

Kerden, for his part, did his best to stay in his seat, although he was visibly
shaking at the murderous glare Duncan was throwing him. By the time the dwarf
finally exhausted himself, Keiichi was spent.

"Aforehand, Builder." Duncan began to growl. "But I did not
sit idle!"

He lifted his tunic slowly, revealing a number of nasty bruises along his ribs
and arms. "I tried to stop Mostana's hired hands from setting the blaze,
but I was not enough to overpower them."

This seemed to appease Duncan somewhat, but he was still leery of Kerden. "Did
ye report Mostana to Maverly?"

"I did." Kerden nodded. "A Silent Inquisition has been called,
but I doubt they will find anything steelclad before the Festival of Creation.
My testimony alone will not suffice, as you well know. A minimum of three witnesses
is required to implicate a clergy of Rank."

"Aye. It will be all but impossible for that oily bastard to be implicated.
He's too damn cunning to leave us any breadcrumbs."

Keiichi smiled. "Master Blowbutton has seen Skuld's divinity, Duncan.
If he's playing us, then I feel sorry for him. Skuld doesn't like it when people
take advantage of her."

Duncan sized Kerden up through narrowed eyes, looking for any deception. "Fine.
I'll abide by yer trust in the goddess. But mark me, Blowbutton! Step outta
line just once, and ye'll be kissin' me biggest wrench!"

Sam made her appearance then, carrying a tray of food fit for three dwarves.
Keiichi took that as a sign for them to go and motioned for Kerden to follow
him. He closed the door behind them and the pair walked through the grotto and
the greenhouse cavern. Keiichi led the gnome to the kitchen where Ruthart and
Sister Maerdith sat drinking tea.

"…brought him back from the dead! Surely that has to mean
something!" Ruthart's quiet voice was urgent and defensive, and for some
reason it made Keiichi unsettled to hear him speak. Maerdith, facing the door
as she was, saw the pair enter and chose not to respond to the young gnome's
words.

"How is he?" she asked.

Keiichi smiled. "Weak and grouchy."

"On the road to recovery then." Maerdith grinned.

Keiichi nodded and motioned for Kerden to sit in one of the empty seats as
he collected two more teacups. He settled himself opposite the gnome and to the
right of Maerdith, allowing Ruthart to pour for them.

"Kerden has some news to share with you." The gnome looked pained
at Keiichi's veiled command, but nodded his acceptance. "Once he's done
explaining things, could you set him up with a bed for the night, Ruthart?"

"Yes, Master Keiichi." The reverence in the young gnome's voice
grated on Keiichi's nerves.

"We'll need to see about opening up a few new caverns after the Festival's
over, too." He sipped the sweet Andilmyne tea that Maerdith favored as
he pondered his next course of action. "After you've gotten Master Blowbutton
settled, I want you to see about cleaning up the Iron Horse. Take note of any
thing that needs to be replaced or restored, all right?"

"Yes, Master Keiichi."

"As it stands, Duncan is going to need all the help we can give him
during the coming week. With that in mind, Kerden, would you be willing to lend
a hand in putting together whatever creation Duncan comes up with in the next
few days?"

"It is the least I can do for you and Builder Steelwater, Master
Keiichi."

"Good." Keiichi turned to Maerdith. "Could you, by chance,
invite Bertrold over for breakfast tomorrow? I have a feeling that he should be
made aware of some things too."

"Of course." Maerdith nodded.

"Thank you." Keiichi sipped his tea, mind racing.

The oddity of being so assertive wasn't lost on him. It seemed so out of character
for him to be this demanding. But, in light of their current situation, someone
needed to step up and get things rolling for Duncan. There was no way that he
was going to allow Haroun Mostana to get away with everything he'd done. They
were going to win this stupid challenge honorably and honestly, without
stooping to his level.

"I've got to figure out a way over the last hurdle of my entry, so I'll
leave you to it, Kerden." He turned to Ruthart and Maerdith. "I just
want you to know, in spite of what Master Blowbutton has to say, I trust him
completely. I hope that you can extend him the same courtesy."

The reactions of the three were mixed, but Keiichi didn't bother cataloguing
them. He had too much to do and not enough time to do it. As he was leaving
the kitchen though, a thought occurred to him. "When Sam gets a moment,
please have her come to my shop, would you?"

The trio nodded. Keiichi made his way back to his workshop and closed the
doors behind him. He stared at his mammoth creation on the shop's large
worktable for a time before moving over to the tall stool that he had tipped
over in his haste to leave the room. He righted it and sat down, propping his
elbows on the counter top of the smaller worktable where he did all of his
detailed work. His mind began to sort through everything he had gleaned from
Skuld's notes, trying to piece together a solution to the problem of the
METAT's artificial intelligence.

Each and every elucidation he came across was too complex, too time
consuming, or lacked the proper materials to pull it off. He needed a computer
but, even with the gifts Belldandy and her sisters had given him, there was
just not enough time to pull it together. The more he thought and pondered, the
angrier and more frustrated he became. This irritation quickly rose to become
an ill temper, until at last Keiichi slammed his fist onto the counter top. The
force of the blow caused a number of items to jump and topple, spilling the
contents of jars and small boxes all over the workbench. This angered him even
more, causing him to slam his fist down on the tabletop again.

A sharp pain caused him to hiss and immediately clutch his hand. The feel of
warm blood trickled through his fingers alerting him to the deep cut he had
inflicted upon himself. He sorted through the contents of the workbench and the
workbench's drawers, looking for a rag. When he came upon a small cloth covered
bundle, he began to unwrap it straight away. Blood had already soaked through a
large portion of the linen by the time he'd exposed the bundle's contents.

He was surprised to see the small pearlescent egg Skuld had given him,
nearly coated in his blood. The small artifact had completely slipped his mind.
He tried his best to clean the egg, but only managed to spread the blood around
more. He sighed at the thought of having to wash it off. It was just one more
thing to accomplish. He started for the large double doors, still lost in his
thoughts, when the egg began absorb the blood and glow softly. As he was
passing the METAT's head, Keiichi was startled out of his reverie by Sam's
distraught voice.

"Keiichi! Your hands!"

He squawked and squeezed the glowing egg in his still bloody hands. The
slippery egg shot out of his grasp like a bar of wet soap, causing Keiichi to
dance as he juggled the fragile artifact back and forth. He spun and twirled in
an agile ballet of panic, almost catching the egg several times. He crowed in
triumph as his hand once again closed on the glowing ovoid, only to trip over
his own tangled feet at the last critical second. Time slowed as the egg once
again sailed free of his grasp. Up and up it rose, tumbling end over end in a
doomed arc that ended at the center of the METAT's forehead. Keiichi watched in
horror as the egg shattered into a million tiny pieces of light that floated
and drifted on an unseen breeze.

Keiichi could only watch in great disappointment as the minuscule shards
slowly settled on the surface and inside of the METAT's head and upper torso.
He hung his head and breathed a deep and gloomy sigh. As he pushed himself to
his feet, Sam gasped. He looked at her with concern, but she just pointed back
to the METAT with a shaky finger. He followed her gaze and took a step back as
his creation began to glow.

He could feel the Seraphic Engine come online and from the way Sam was
rubbing her arms, she felt it too. As the secondary systems began to charge,
Keiichi noted that one of the METAT's hands began to twitch. Small debris began
to lift from the tables and floor throughout the workshop and Keiichi could
feel his hair standing on end as a very strong electromagnetic field rose in
the room. Excitement and concern began to run through him and he motioned Sam
to move back towards the door. He'd seen "Robot Carnival" enough
times to know that one didn't stand directly in front of a creation that was
waking up for the first time. He had no intention of being crushed by his own
hard work before he'd had the chance to pay Mostana back for the grief and pain
he'd caused.

No, that wouldn't do at all.

The METAT sat up slowly and swung its legs off the table with an agility that
both surprised and pleased Keiichi. He watched as the huge, humanoid robot lifted
its hands and slowly examined them, opening and closing its fingers in a way
that seemed very… well, human, for lack of a better term. Heated
air vented from a number of valves at the neck and beneath the "rib cage",
ruffling Keiichi's clothing as he drew closer to his creation. The movement
drew the METAT's attention, making Keiichi pause in his slow advance.

(PHSSSSSH!)

The sound of more heated air venting caused Sam to cry out in alarm. The
robot slowly shifted its gaze to the dwarf woman, eliciting another whimper
from Duncan's wife. The noise generated by the activation brought the trio from
the kitchen, causing the METAT's head to swivel away from Sam and move to the
door. Maerdith screamed and backed out of the room as Ruthart and Kerden moved
forward into her place. Both looked upon Keiichi's marvel with awe and wonder.

"It's all right." The young man spoke softly, drawing the robot's
attention back to him.

(PHSSSSSH!)

"Aaaalllriiiiight."

There was an echoing, digital quality to the METAT's voice that made Keiichi
grin. He wanted to jump and dance, but the image of the little mad scientist
getting squished in "Robot Carnival" kept his feet firmly planted on
the ground. Instead, he satisfied his excitement by laying his hand on the leg
of the robot. He smiled up at the highly polished, featureless faceplate and
sighed.

"I name you Kazukiichiro…."

PHSSSSSH!

"Kaaaahhhzzzuuuukiiii…."

PHSSSSSH!

"Yes. My first, shining son."

Keiichi looked up at his fifteen-foot metallic child and couldn't help but
thank Skuld. What an incredibly miraculous gift! This was better than A.I. —
it was nothing short of magic! He looked back at his friends and beamed with
joy. He couldn't wait until Duncan was up and about… he was going to freak!

PHSSSSSH!

"Kaahhzuuukiii…."

Keiichi laughed brightly.

Top that, Mostana!

Phaele Aligaurde, High Dweomerkeeper to the Temple of Stars, felt at a loss
before the altar. The priestess had spent her days locked away from the local
populace of Daerlun and the rest of Sembia, praying and meditating on the
mystery of the new god. Her prayers to Ranma had yet to be answered beyond a
number of troubling and confusing dreams that left her an emotional wreck
afterwards. She couldn't understand the symbolism of the pit or her increasing
fear of all things feline. After experiencing three nights of constant terror
from the indistinct images and sickening sounds of suffering cats, Phaele was
steadily growing more and more frustrated.

Maybe her god was trying to impart his will to her… or maybe teach her his
doctrine through the dreams. She felt that the second was probably the safer
interpretation, but the experience was so personal that it left her
second-guessing herself. She wasn't the only one to have them, and a number of
sorcerers and half-elves in the Temple had experienced the same dreams she had.
The dreams were just as contrary to the others as they were to her.

On one hand they had the pit and the cats, and on the other they had the
dreams of fighting. Most of the time the fights were unarmed and contrary to
her lack of experience, she felt supremely confident. The constant rush of
fighting battles and the subtle joy of training herself in a new technique left
her feeling powerful and satisfied that there was nothing she couldn't do.

Perhaps the dreams were a premonition of the future. If so, was he warning
her about a trap? Would she someday fall into a pit of feral cats? No, that
didn't match with the emotions she'd felt. She'd felt small and helpless. Maybe
it was the current status of Ranma's church? It was small and surrounded by
feral dangers? It was a sketchy interpretation, but one that made a lot of
sense — especially when taking into account the not so subtle hostilities that
the dreamers were being confronted with.

That feeling had allowed her and the other dreamers within the Temple of Stars
to weather the criticism of their peers. They had come to a consensus of recording
the dreams, and an unofficial sect of Ranma was forming. The followers of Azuth
and some of the more traditional clergy of Mystra were demonstrating an increasing
amount of… irritation… towards the fledgling faith. The friction
was starting to really take its toll on the Temple of Stars. Her father had
gone a long way to smooth things over with the body of Mystra's followers here
in the Temple of Stars, but the Keeper of Mysteries could only do so much. If
something didn't happen soon to placate the concerns of the other faiths, there
was no doubt that things would escalate to open conflict.

This was why the High Dweomerkeeper found herself kneeling in the holy of
holies praying for deeper understanding of the dreams. As she had been the one
that received the personal visitation from the god, everyone was looking to her
as his official voice.

Phaele sighed and refocused her thoughts on understanding these many visions.
If Phaele were to embrace the idea that the visions were a metaphor for the
current status of the church, then all the battle and training dreams were a
warning for the followers of Ranma to prepare. It didn't really explain the
erotic dream she'd had last night about the woman who could have only been a
representation of Mystra, but that was something that could be pondered later.

Yes. That felt right. She had never backed down from the many challenges and
various enemies in her dreams, and she had never stopped preparing herself for
the next battle. For all their symbolism, that seemed to be the core message.
Life would always bring conflict but, through constant training and an undying
will to win the struggle, there was no challenge that could not be overcome.
Fighting unarmed and as both male and female could be seen as a universal need
to rely on one's self and to constantly adapt to new situations. Some of the
other dreamers were interpreting that last concept literally.

A number of sorcerers were already developing classes in unarmed fighting based
off of their dreams, while another small group was researching spells and artifacts
that would allow for the gender switch. They had also started crafting new garments
based off the clothes pictured in the visions. Others had pretty much come to
the conclusion that all cats are evil and therefore needed to be destroyed.
This wasn't going over too well with many of the wizards and sorcerers with
cat familiars. Phaele wasn't sure how to feel about the gender-swapping, and
she was indifferent towards the cats, but the unarmed combat and the soft silks
were something that she was really starting to enjoy. Her father had even sanctioned
the idea by making the classes mandatory for the senior clergy of Mystra, if
for no other reason than to keep the denizens of the temple healthy and fit.

With the overall mystery of the dreams somewhat resolved, Phaele turned her
thoughts to the next problem: executing her god's will.

Of all the things that Phaele Aligaurde expected, a portal opening above the
altar was not it. Nor was the sound of a screaming female voice or the body
that followed it. The High Dweomerkeeper of Mystra had no time to move as the
petite yet busty young woman shot from the magical tear at great speeds and
bounced off the altar, to crash into her. Stunned and winded, Phaele could do
little but lay where she was and listen to the heartbroken sobs of the redhaired
elf girl pressed against her chest.

It took time to maneuver her body into a more comfortable position, and even
more time to sort out the mumbled whispers that were hidden behind the girl's
tears. Her face was well hidden behind the girl's long, beautiful red hair,
but the priestess could see something glowing on the petite figure's forehead.
By the time Phaele had the girl repositioned in her lap for a better look, the
girl's words had become a mantra.

"He's gone! She took him away!"

"Who is gone, child?" Phaele began rubbing small circles up and down
the girl's back. The action caused the tears to stop abruptly. The girl lifted
her head for the first time and pulled her hair away from her face, to look
the Dweomerkeeper in the eye. The very familiar blue eyes seemed to swallow
her, but it was the glowing symbol on the girl's forehead that made Phaele's
breath catch in her throat. It was only half of the sigil she'd come to meditate
on daily: a white seed or tear drop shape with an indigo half circle along the
inner curve of the right edge. She didn't understand why the sigil was broken,
but the more the redhaired elf girl babbled, the clearer the picture became.
It was then that she remembered whom she was holding. With a great scrambling
lurch, she moved away from the figure and immediately began to prostrate herself
in a low bow.

"Lord… er… Lady Ranma! I am thy servant!" Her eyes never left
the floor and her forehead was pressed to the floor, but Ranma refused to let
her stay that way for long. A pair of soft, delicate hands grabbed Phaele's
face in her hands. The intensity of those stormy eyes made the priestess feel
so terribly small.

"She broke me, Phaele. Shar took him away from me and I want him back!"

"Who did she take?" the Dweomerkeeper whispered weakly.

"My male half!" The edge of panic in the redhead's voice was terribly
unnerving. "Oh, gods, she broke me! What am I going to do? I feel so empty!"

Phaele did the only thing she could think of and drew the busty elf girl into
a tight hug and comforted her the best she could. What else could she do for
the distraught avatar of her god? The dreams that had plagued her sleep took on
a whole new meaning now. The pit, the battles, the training…. Her god had
been battling other gods, which meant that Shar had dealt Ranma a terrible blow
and somehow split his divinity. Heaven was at war, and there was no doubt that
the war was now spilling over into the mortal realm.

Was this to be another Time of Troubles or Faerun? Mystra guard and protect!
Phaele hoped not!

"What am I going to do?" Ranma's wail was so heartwrenching that
the priestess seized the first comforting thought that came to her and ran with
it.

"Find him," Phaele whispered fervently. "We will find him. Together."

"You'll help me?" The young elfmaid seemed totally surprised at the
offer.

Phaele nodded. Was this some sort of test of her fledgling faith? If it was,
then Phaele was fully intent on passing. What else could she do? Ranma had chosen
her out of all the worthies in the Temple of Stars. That honor was not something
to ignore or set aside. The redhaired girl smiled brightly and giggled as she
hugged the Dweomerkeeper affectionately.

"Thank you, Phaele. It's nice to know I have a friend right now."

The sorceress felt tears well in her eyes. She passed the test! Her
god… er, goddess, had not only come to her, but she named her friend! A
feeling of such perfect fulfillment filled the priestess as she returned the
hug. She had found her place in life, and it was in the service of Ranma. She
would still honor Mystra, but Ranma would now be the focus of her devotion.
With one last squeeze, the avatar pulled away and grinned excitedly.

"Come on, Phaele! We've got work to do! We got to find my male half and
put me back together!"

The petite redhead jumped from Phaele's lap and pulled the sorceress to her
feet. The sudden shift in emotions was staggering, but Phaele did her best to
roll with the avatar's sudden explosion of girlish enthusiasm.

"What then?" Phaele dared ask. The enthusiasm seemed to bleed from
Ranma's face as she looked towards the altar. Her voice was hot and filled with
a passionate assurance that made her words seem less a stated goal, and more
a foregone conclusion.

"We're going to make Shar wish she had never been conceived!"

Fendrellinor, The Pools of Sorrow

Elminster was familiar with many forms of magic. He knew the subtleties of
wizardry and the power of sorcery. He had tasted godly magic and fallen prey
to wild magic, yet in all his days, he had never known magic quite like this.
It was the magic of chaos and the power of chance magnified to the obscene.

He had fallen, and in a vain attempt to deny the inevitable, he grabbed handfuls
of the moist loam that decorated the sides of the pool he was falling towards.
His futile hope was to avoid being submerged in the water. Sadly, the springs
wouldn't be denied.

The loam tore free, showering the pool with a spray of mud, dirt, and roots.
Elminster cried out in denial and terror, even as his eyes tracked the flight
of the sparkling necklace he had freed from the earth. His arms swept back,
looking for purchase, but the pool seemed to grow to become a lake. His senses
burned in the presence of the excessive magic he was caught in.

He felt the hand clutching the necklace hit the water first, and the
energies saturating the spring exploded. He reflexively took a deep breath and
held it, finally accepting the inevitable and praying that the change wouldn't
be something too unnatural. Maybe he could be a woman again… that was fairly
safe… right? Assuming he didn't drown here to make a new pool.

Now that would… how did the phrase go again? Ah, yes!

Now that would really suck!

Oddly enough, he felt himself submerge, but didn't feel the wet sensation
associated with a dunking. If anything, he felt like his body was suddenly
super-charged with static electricity… somewhat like the feeling he had when
casting a chain lighting spell. The sensations intensified markedly, and he
found himself cataloguing the experience in that very clinically annoying way
that he'd come by during one of his many apprenticeships.

By the time he'd finally gotten around to opening his eyes, the wet feeling
arrived. Unfortunately, it was one of the most uncomfortable wet feelings he'd
ever had and it gave the archmage ample incentive to leave the pool. His feet
found purchase on the muddy bottom of the spring and with a great push,
Elminster shot out of the pool.

The fact that his leap topped some thirty feet was noted. The sight of
another pool rapidly getting closer made Elminster's foggy mind scream with an
icy panic that bordered on hysteria. The mage offered up a quick prayer to
Mystra, begging her forgiveness for whatever slight he'd done her and asked
that this watery grave would send him speedily to her side.

The prayer, such as it was, wasn't answered by the Lady of Mysteries, but by
an auburn-headed blur that impacted the Old Mage in the ribs hard enough to
bruise. The wizard's savior rolled with the tumble, and somehow ended up
sitting on Elminster's stomach. A quick, but by no means complete inventory was
made.

Two arms. Check.

A head and face. Check

Two legs. Check.

Breasts…. No!

Elminster almost jumped up to dance with glee! He wasn't a woman! He was
still a man! He was still… Wait a minute. El let his hand drift down to
inspect his lower anatomy and winced.

The wizard opened his eyes stoically, contemplating the price of pulling off
a Dragon Slave with Ranma at ground zero. Sure Mystra wouldn't be happy with
him bargaining with a Mazoku, but he was sure that he'd find a way to earn her
forgiveness. It might take a millennium, but it would be worth it, right? Upon
seeing the grinning and purring form of an auburn… furred… little
girl sitting on his… grr… her… stomach, Elminster couldn't
help but think that the Dragon Slave just wasn't going to cut it. The fact that
she was a six-year-old female version of Ranma — albeit one with a swishing
cat tail — was not lost on the addled wits of one of the world's most
powerful magic users.

Giga Slave. All the way.

"Oh, nine bloody Hells!"

Upon seeing the new body Elminster was now sporting, the Old Mage knew that
even the Giga Slave wasn't enough punishment. El was going to have to come up
with a whole new level of destruction and pain, just for the pigtailed freak!
It had been a long time since he had done any spell crafting, but for this….

Just look at him! His beard was gone! Little Mister was gone too! Alrassa was
going to be so disappointed! All because he'd been turned into a… a….

"I'm a magical catgirl!" Elminster wailed.

And he was, complete with a trendy little pink costume with lots and lots of
petticoats, copious amounts of hearts, and completely inappropriate amounts
of fake jewelry to match. Valor the winged cat landed on El's chest and calmly
smirked. Yes, smirked! Of all the indignities….

Thus it was that Elminster of Shadowdale wept… well, like the mewling
little magical catgirl he was. Zuieez, the Steward of the Pools, scooped the
pair of catgirls and the slightly cramped Tressym into a warm cuddle, and somehow
produced a pair of rather large, skewered emerald trout from thin air. The auburn-haired
Ranma tore into the treat immediately, but El did his… her…
best to ignore the craving so that she could keep crying. The little magical
catgirl lasted all of thirty seconds before the yummy smell of fish reminded
her that she'd missed lunch.

Everlund

Moongleam Tower was a formidable fortress, built by a master dwarf engineer
named Hobbin Axewhetter. The black stone that the tower was built from was unknown
on the surface, having been quarried in the Underdark and brought to Everlund
via a secret trade route. The fortress sat on one of Everlund's highest knolls
and was made up of four very tall and narrow towers that were joined by a thick
circular wall that surrounded a central courtyard. It was made to be Everlund's
last line of defense, in the event that the walls were breached, and had stood
for over two hundred years against orc armies and dragon raids alike.

It was a rather impressive sight to see, looming over the houses and shops
of Everlund. The golden light of the setting sun caused the stone of the tower
to glisten in the remnants of the day's rain. Likewise, the light streaming
through breaking cloud cover made the fortress darker than midnight and seemed
terribly forbidding to Usagi as the carriage drew closer and closer to their
destination.

"Creepy." She shivered in her new navy-blue gown.

Ulin had given the ladies and men alike a make-over that would have anyone
back home drooling with envy. The clothes were a bit plain — navy trousers
and white shirts for the men, and white dresses with navy vests and trim for
the women, all without Usagi's new heraldry, which was to be embroidered during
the rest of their stay. She had not asked how much had been spent on the clothes,
but judging from the grimace on Ulin's face it had been a lot. Usagi's wardrobe
accounted for the greatest dent in their funds, having gotten five new dresses
under great duress. The nine separate dressmakers they visited were ecstatic
with the business and free-flowing gold, even if the time frame they had to
work with was limited.

The new weapons for the men had cost quite a bit too, but in light of everything
that was hanging over their heads, Usagi wasn't about to scrimp if it meant
the difference between life and death for her boys. She sighed and looked at
the jewelry that she had planned to sell. They had drained three of Hearthman's
accounts dry, with the aid of a mind-numbing stack of documents that Ulin had
produced on request. How she came by them, Usagi didn't know, but in the end
they had gotten what they needed and still had a bit to spare, according to
Ulin. How much, Usagi didn't care to know.

Now they were here, at Moongleam Tower, about to have dinner with this
Moonlord fellow and learn more about the significance of Alustriel's earlier
communication. Passing through the fortress' main gate felt like being
swallowed by some great monster. The Silver Princess hated the feel of it. In
contrast to the exterior, the interior of the tower felt a little bit warmer.
It was still stark by anyone's judgment, but the guardsmen standing at
attention along their path and the other human elements made a great deal of
difference in breathing life into the tower. The coach began to turn in a wide
circle, and Usagi caught a glimpse of the man she supposed was their host.

Eaerlraun Shadowlyn was a willowy man, dressed in a tunic of brown velvet
that offset his blonde hair and tanned complexion nicely. His legs were long
and powerful, as evidenced by the delicious way the dark leather breeches
played off his muscles. He wore a long sword at his hip and a dagger tucked in
one boot. He moved with an economy of motion that she had seen in a lion once.
It was deceptively lazy, but graceful and powerful nonetheless. Usagi caught Feldrin
eyeing the man up and down appreciatively and grinned mischievously. If nothing
else, Usagi was happy to have found something to tease the ranger about.

"Greetings to you, Lady Serenity. I am Eaerlraun Shadowlyn, Lord of Moongleam
Tower, and in the name of the Elders of Everlund and her majesty, High Lady
Alustriel, I bid you welcome to Everlund." Shadowlyn bowed deeply to her
as Heb helped her from the carriage.

"Thank you, Lord Shadowlyn, for opening your home to us." Like her
encounter with Raelin Thistlebuck, Ulin had harrowed Usagi all afternoon on how
to greet their host and what needed to be said. "Please accept this token
of our gratitude."

Taeghen Amalith, a man with obvious elven heritage in his past, stepped
forward with the gift that Ulin and Feldrin had chosen for the occasion. The
small lacquered box had been polished to almost a mirror finish, and the
Moonlord accepted it with grace and a warm smile.

"May I?" He asked. Usagi nodded her head, somewhat worried. She
hoped he liked it. That in and of itself brought her mind to what she was going
to give Alustriel when they reached Silverymoon. Her worries were tabled for a
moment as her host opened the box.

Eaerlraun Shadowlyn was a renowned ranger of no mean skill, and the hunting
knife they found in one of the smithies was of great quality. Decorated with a
moon motif, it seemed a fitting gift for the Lord of Moongleam Tower. Under
Ulin's direction, Usagi had enchanted the blade to emit a beautiful silver glow
that would not fade at the mention of her name. It had taken her a number of
tries, but the simple enchantment took and Usagi had beamed with pride at the
accomplishment.

The Lady of Hemmerling watched her host carefully lift the blade from its
box, testing its weight and smiling. Now came the fun part.

"Lady Serenity—"

Eaerlraun almost jumped from his skin as a glow flared to life around the
blade of the hunting knife. The silver radiance lit up the courtyard
immediately surrounding Lord Shadowlyn, like any torch would. Looking into the
surprised and smiling face of her host, she knew that they had done well.

"Lady Serenity." The light winked out, bringing a smile to Eaerlraun.
With slow and deliberate movements, he pulled the dagger from his boot and casually
tossed it to one of his guardsmen. Usagi's gift immediately replaced it. "Thank
you for this wondrous gift."

"We hope it serves you well, Lord Shadowlyn." She gestured to her
company and bowed deeply to her host, as was Japanese custom. This seemed to
take the man by surprise again, as he awkwardly returned her gesture.

"I am certain it will." He gestured for everyone to follow him as
he ascended the steps to the northern tower. "Rooms have been prepared for
your stay, and dinner will be served at your earliest convenience."

Usagi blushed as her stomach growled loudly. Dinah sniggered from her place
at Ulin's side, as did Feldrin, causing Usagi's blush to deepen even more.
Shandri scowled at her sister hard enough to peel paint, quickly silencing the
little girl's giggle fit. Feldrin took a bit longer to calm. Eaerlraun smiled
down at Usagi comfortingly.

"I think we should make our way to dinner first." He motioned for
one of the tower's servants to come forward. The rather plain woman would have
been lost in any crowd, but Usagi felt that something was off about her.
"Uma will show your attendants where you will be staying, while we head on
to dinner."

Usagi looked to Shandri's mother apologetically, but the woman was already
moving forward to Uma's side. The look was not lost on Eaerlraun, who watched
the interplay carefully and with hidden interest. Silea and Dinah Dunhill moved
off to a separate entrance with Uma, leaving the rest of the party standing on
the steps leading up to the north tower. Eaerlraun offered Usagi his arm and led
the way, while Shandri, Feldrin, Ulin, and two other men from the tower
followed the pair into the tower itself. Viet somehow appeared at Shandri's arm
before she had passed through the door, surprising her. As the honor guard
dispersed, the only ones left in the courtyard were Stedd, Taeghen, Heb, and a
few of Moongleam's staff who were helping unload the carriage.

The furnishings weren't extravagant, but they weren't poor either. Usagi felt
that they were tastefully comfortable, which seemed to reflect the overall character
of the Lord of the tower. Paintings of woodland scenes and a number of antlers
and other animal trophies lined the walls at varying intervals. A statue here
and there of some creature or another gave the whole place a very masculine
feel. Usagi kept her mouth shut, taking it all in, and trying to learn more
about the man as Ulin had been teaching her to.

"I trust your trip was well, Lady?" Shadowlyn asked.

"Yes, thank you." Usagi could smell wonderful scents wafting on
the air from somewhere near by. "We were a little surprised by Alustriel's
message, but looking forward to a nice warm bed all the same."

At the mention of Alustriel's message, a brief shadow crossed Eaerlraun's
face. It was barely a flicker of concern, but it was gone an instant after it
had been noted. Usagi wasn't sure if she had seen right, but chose to play her
hunch anyway. She'd already been embarrassed by her traitorous stomach, so
making a fool of herself wasn't as big an issue as it had been.

"Is there something wrong, Lord Shadowlyn?"

Eaerlraun looked down at Usagi appraisingly for a moment, and then sighed.
"I am afraid that there are a great many things wrong at the moment, milady."
He paused long enough to open a pair of large wooden doors and then took up
Usagi's arm again to lead her and her companions to a large table filled with
food. "Let us sit and sup for a bit before talking about dark tidings,
shall we?"

He seated Usagi first, pulling out her chair and helping her to get settled.
Ulin and Feldrin's escorts followed suit, as did a very watchful Viet. Usagi
was proud that the young man was a quick study in being a gentleman. The sight
left Usagi feeling homesick for Mamoru, and more than a little troubled that
she hadn't thought about her prince in a very long time. More disturbing still,
was the image of a stormy-eyed, dark-haired face that seemed to superimpose
itself over Mamoru's.

"To new friends."

The toast brought Usagi out of her reverie in a rush. She hastily lifted her
cup and repeated Eaerlraun's words. Everyone drank, and then servant's bustled
to and fro, serving the guests. Usagi had never eaten a meal served in courses
before, and felt slightly out of place. As the soup came and went and the next
course was laid before her, Eaerlraun asked for introductions. Usagi nodded to
Ulin, who quietly returned the gesture before standing.

"Ulin Shemzarida Hashpida Harpell, my Lord Shadowlyn. I serve my Lady
as her counsel and advisor." The Genasi bowed to Eaerlraun, who raised his
cup to her.

"Your name is known to me, but the tales of your beauty scarcely do you
justice."

Ulin smiled and inclined her head. "My Lord is too kind."

"Not at all. Truth is truth, milady." Ulin bowed again and
reclaimed her seat. Eaerlraun leaned back as the next a servant refilled his
cup. "And from all that I have heard, you are as powerful in sorcery as
you are beautiful."

"Power is relative, Lord Shadowlyn. And magic is the Harpell heritage,
Mystra be praised." She pressed her palms together and bowed her head.
"Both are at your disposal during our stay under your care."

Usagi nodded approvingly, then looked to Feldrin who stood and bowed a
little bit more stiffly than Ulin.

"Feldrin Avenry, milord."

"Of Dunnel's Brotherhood?" Eaerlraun asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The same, milord."

"You're a bit far afield." The Lord of Moongleam Tower nodded appreciatively,
looking at the young woman with a more critical eye than before.

"I'm searching for news on the whereabouts of my father, milord."

"And how goes your quest, ranger?" Eaerlraun's eyes followed
Feldrin as she sat down again.

"I've not had much luck, milord," Feldrin admitted.

"Your father was a good man and I owe him a debt that cannot be
repaid." This revelation set Feldrin back. She looked at her host with
undisguised curiosity. "If time permits, I will share with you the tale.
And you may be assured that if there is any way that I can help you in finding
him, I will happily lend my aid."

"I would be most indebted to you, milord." Feldrin bowed her head gratefully.

"So, are you simply traveling with Lady Serenity then?"

"No, Lord. I have taken up service with the Silver Princess."

Usagi cringed at the mention of that title.

"You have a worthy addition to your House then, Lady. Feldrin of
Tradesburrow has a sharp eye, and few can match her bow work."

Feldrin grinned. "I can think of a few, milord. You among them, from all
the talk spilling from Dunnel's mouth."

Eaerlraun laughed. "Dunnel is a fountain of exaggeration." Feldrin
toasted him and nodded. "But if you truly wish to satisfy your curiosity,
we can find time to draw a few."

"I'd like that." Feldrin nodded as Eaerlraun turned his attention
back to Usagi.

"Now, then, Lady Serenity. Who be these two twinkling young stars that
are so lost in one another's eyes? The one I know if only by his determination
and unwavering service. His beautiful lady is, however, a new and welcome face."

Shandri blushed and lowered her gaze to her plate. Viet seemed to sit a little
straighter and smiled broadly under the half-elf's praise. Usagi grinned and
leaned closer to Eaerlraun.

"The young man is Viet Lackman, a defender of Hemmerling. And his love
is my lady-in-waiting, Shandri Dunhill."

"He fought in the Battle of Hemmerling?" Eaerlraun looked
surprised.

"Yes, milord," Ulin interjected. "He gave good measure of himself."

"Be careful, Mistress Ulin." Shandri poked Viet in the side.
"Any more talk and Viet's swelling head is likely to explode."
Everyone laughed as the young man pouted.

"Peace, young warrior. Peace." Eaerlraun held up his hands and shook
his head. "Know this truth here and now; it is a woman's duty to humble
us, lest we become overconfident and foolhardy. Love her all the more for it."

"HERE! HERE!" Feldrin cried out, raising her cup in another toast.

Laughter and more toasting followed as Eaerlraun introduced his men, Bolo and
Fhyme. It took two more courses before the discussion returned to the topic
that brought Usagi and her entourage to Moongleam Tower.

"I am afraid that the information I was given to pass on is not pleasant."
He sighed and swirled the wine in his cup. "Word has reached us from Nesme
of an uprising in the Evermoors."

"An uprising, milord?" Feldrin looked worried.

"That is not a strong enough word for what happened in Nesme, Eaerlraun,"
Bolo said. The middle-aged man was broad of shoulder and wore his thick, curly
brown hair in a ponytail. "Massacre is closer to the mark."

"Massacre?" Usagi gasped.

"Nesme was overrun." Fhyme quietly sipped his wine and cracked his
neck. Where Bolo was tall and broad, Fhyme was short and thin. He reminded Usagi
of a Korean gymnast she had seen once.

"No." Feldrin shook her head in disbelief. "What of the
Riders?"

"Some escaped, but many of them fell when the trolls attacked." Eaerlraun
laced his fingers together and looked to Usagi. "Most of the inhabitants
were driven from the town and hunted by the trolls, and by the time we learned
of their plight, many had been overrun and killed."

"That's horrible."

Usagi felt the tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she imagined the
loss of life. She might not have known what a troll was, but a monster was a
monster, and she'd had more than her fair share chasing her in the past to know
what the Nesmians must have been feeling.

"That is indeed a tragic tale, Lord Shadowlyn," Ulin said, "but
how does that impact us?"

"Ulin!" Usagi chided. "How can you be so… so cold about
this?"

"Peace, Lady. Mistress Harpell is right to ask." Eaerlraun covered
Usagi's hand with his own. "Nesme is far from here and has little impact
on the roads that you will travel to reach Silverymoon. The only reason to mention
it is to illustrate the point that all is not well in the North."

"This was not an isolated incident then?" Ulin asked calmly.

"No, it was not," Shadowlyn admitted. "The High Lady herself
went to Nesme's aid, but not before Mithril Hall itself was besieged by an army
of orcs unlike any other in the history of the North. Their numbers were estimated
to be in the tens of thousands, and accounts have it that the bastards have
allied themselves with Frost Giants."

"I assume that the dwarves drove them back?" Feldrin asked. She
hated orcs and giants with a passion, and that was readily apparent to any that
looked her way.

"Not without losses. It was thought that King Bruenor Battlehammer himself
had fallen to their might, but those tales were recently disproved by the High
Lady." Usagi felt lost and it must have showed, because Eaerlraun patted
her hand. "The North is soon to be embroiled in a very nasty war, and while
Everlund may not be directly affected, Silverymoon will undoubtedly feel the
press. The High Lady felt you should know of events in advance of your coming
to her city."

"And what is the current status of this army?" Ulin asked.

"Entrenching itself in the shadow of Fourthpeak and all around the
mountains of Fell Pass."

"The trolls were a part of this army then?" Ulin asked.

"There is evidence to support this theory. It seems too convenient that
the trolls would attack in such an organized fashion."

"It doesn't match with their usual stupidity," Feldrin said.

"And what track will the Silver Marches follow?" Ulin asked.
"Are steps being taken to aid Mithril Hall?"

"I have yet to speak with the High Lady at length, but the elders have
made it clear that we are to begin preparing our own defenses and securing supply
lines between here and Silverymoon. Citadels Felbarr and Adbar will not let
Bruenor face this threat alone. If there are orcs to be killed, you can rest
assured that there will be a dwarf there to do the killing."

Feldrin, Bolo, and Fhyme laughed at that, but Usagi couldn't see where the
humor was.

"Sundabar and Silverymoon are on war footing, and will most likely be
training everyone they can get their hands on. With winter coming soon, you can
be assured that the orcs are doing the same." Eaerlraun sighed. "Come
the spring thaw, you can rest assured that the Rauvin and Surbin will run red
with the blood from the battles sure to take place in the Frost Hills."

Ulin looked to Usagi with some concern. The silent question was asked and
immediately answered. There was no hesitation in Usagi's determination to go on
to Silverymoon.

"How soon will the passes be closing, Lord Shadowlyn?" Ulin asked.

"So you intend to head onto Silverymoon, then?" The half-elf asked.

"Yes," Usagi said determinedly. "As soon as possible."

"That is good to hear. Your presence in the city will bolster the
morale of more than a few frightened people." Eaerlraun said with a warm
smile. "The last major caravan of the season will be leaving within the
next two tendays."

"How long will the trip take?" Usagi asked.

"Barring any poor weather, and depending on the size of the caravan, the
trip averages approximately three to seven days."

Usagi nodded and looked thoughtfully at Ulin. Eaerlraun drew her attention
back to him as he rang a small silver bell. A young man entered bearing an ivory
scroll-case. Eaerlraun thanked him and handed the case to Usagi.

"The High Lady asked that I give this to you before you left. It is
magically sealed, as is Alustriel's custom with private communications."

"Thank you, Lord Shadowlyn," Usagi said distractedly.

"Please, Lady Serenity. I think we are beyond the need for titles. Call
me Eaerlraun."

"Then it is only fair that you call me Serenity, Eaerlraun." She
smiled.

He raised his cup again, and everyone else followed suit. "To new friends."

Highden

The week had been hard on Keiichi and his friends, but not in a bad way. Kerden
spent the first two days of his stay at the cavern, building a shrine on the
small promontory everyone had taken to calling "Keiichi's watch".
Bertrold had stopped by and was scared speechless when Keiichi introduced him
to Kazukiichiro. The young inventor hadn't had a chance to truly test the limits
of his creation, but the METAT was demonstrating itself to be a fast learner
by picking up words and phrases to communicate its desires to Keiichi. This
excited everyone to no end, most especially Maerdith, who began teaching the
METAT every afternoon.

While Kazuki's vocabulary and ability to speak were speeding along at breakneck
speeds, his mindset still reflected that of a small child. It was extremely
curious and had taken a special interest in the garden once it was able to gain
access to the cavern. It had taken only a single day, under Keiichi's direction,
for the robot to raise the cavern's ceilings to accommodate the METAT. Duncan
complained about the noise, but Sam and Maerdith insisted that if he didn't
like it, then he should get out of bed and go somewhere else. From the moment
Kazuki activated, Sam was merciless in her brow beating of her husband. She
nagged and begged, and demanded and cried — anything to convince Duncan
not to give up. By mid-sun on the second day, Duncan exploded like a volcano.
He clambered out of bed in a rage, put on his boots and trumped out to the beach.
He got down on his knees and prayed from lunch until dawn the next day. The
stubborn dwarf poured out his heart and soul to his god, but received no answer.

Keiichi could only smile at the memory of Duncan's rage. The dwarf's words
still rang in his ears.

"I gave ye me life and all me heart! I stepped away from the gods of me
father and me father's father! What have ye given me in my darkest hour of
need? SILENCE! If ye won't answer the prayers of yer flock and if ye ignore the
injustice done to the faithful, then to the Nine Hells with ye!"

He spat on the ground three times and trudged into the cavern and drafted
Kerden into helping him clean up and drag his Gondsman up to Keiichi's Watch.
Kazuki ended up taking over even before they'd crossed the cave's entrance.
Once the Gondsman was placed upon the altar, Duncan and Kerdan kneeled before
Skuld's shrine. With equal fervor and just as much faith, the dwarf prayed to
Skuld, offering up his heart to the Goddess of Dreams Unrealized. Sam, while
shocked and uncertain at the act, followed her husband's lead. They had
scarcely begun to pray when the water beneath the promontory glowed and started
to churn. Skuld made her appearance in style and grandeur, humbling Duncan,
Kerden, and Sam.

The Norn of the future squealed in delight at the sight of Duncan's and Keiichi's
creations and immediately began cooing over them. Kazuki wasn't sure how to
take the excited goddess and quickly returned to Keiichi's side to escape "Auntie
Skuld's" affections. Duncan and Sam weren't exactly sure how to take her
either, until Skuld decided to put on her "Official hat". Keiichi
didn't stay for the rest of the wondrous visitation. It just didn't feel right,
intruding on the trio's experience with Skuld.

By the time they came back inside, Sam and Duncan were teary-eyed and overjoyed.
Kerden was all smiles too, but none would say why. Keiichi and Maerdith refused
to pry, and Ruthart was too busy with dinner to do more than congratulate the
trio on whatever had happened. Their quiet support could not have prepared them
for the sight of a clockwork dwarf walking in behind them. It was barrel-chested
and carried a massive war hammer over its right shoulder. The wide brimmed cap
that sat on his head was reminiscent of Banpei, but to Keiichi's surprise, the
clockwork dwarf was able to remove it like a regular hat.

The metal was a curious mix of silver, gold, and what Keiichi had come to recognize
as electrum. There was platinum and mithril gilding as well, which etched out
a number of runes and decorative patterns all over the exterior of the mechanical
dwarf.

Keiichi — indeed everyone who saw Dreun — couldn't help but feel
happy that Duncan had found something, or rather someone, to believe in again.
The week passed quickly as the group worked hard to prepare their entries for
the Festival. The greatest challenge was finding a secluded place to test the
abilities of their creations. Haroun sent his spies to follow the group wherever
they went, so it became something of a game to uncover and distract the nosy
henchmen of their opponent. They teamed off and swapped practice days, allowing
Duncan to test and refine his performance one day, while Keiichi took his turn
the next. In the meanwhile, Kazuki and Dreun learned tirelessly.

Keiichi limited himself to taking a nap for no more than an hour each day, even
with both Sam and Maerdith harping on him. The rest of the time was spent
teaching the mechanical "children" the basics of communication and
social interaction — and while Dreun couldn't talk like Kazuki could, he and
Duncan had an empathic bond that got his messages across just fine.

Duncan and Maerdith would take over the lessons when Keiichi slept or was
working with Kazuki, and by the end of the week they had made incredible
strides. The night before the festival, Kazuki and Keiichi passed a particularly
important milestone. It was an event that changed Keiichi's life almost as
profoundly as that wondrous day he ordered for take-out.

"Good night, Kazuki-chan."

PHSSSSSH!

"Goodnight, father."

Turnstone Pass
Northwest of the Talons

Sefaril Kalavir and her sister Aelin clung to the body of the mage's
husband, Maric. The wound was mortal, a poisoned bolt to the right lung. Maric
had done well by the wound, killing ten of their attackers before being shot,
and now the orcs only outnumbered their group four to one. With her spells
exhausted and her sister's novice status in magic, the only things keeping the
murderous horde from slaughtering the pregnant woman and her family were
Ethalliandra Brestalda and Ked Moonson. The wandering pair had joined the Sundabaran
caravan that was heading to Daggerdale as guards.

If the love of her life had not been bleeding to death in her arms, she
would have been glad for their presence. All she could feel at this moment was
the fear associated with the loss of her husband and the inevitable death of
her unborn child. She prayed to whatever gods that might be listening, begging
that she would be able to remain with her family and find the happiness and
peace in the next life that she was being denied in this one.

In answer to her pleas the very air seemed to split and tear, opening a
portal into a place of darkness. Angry black lightning filled the air above the
defenders with the smell of ozone, and occasionally blasted an orc into ash.
The atmosphere escaping the hole in reality seemed to leak a storm of emotions:
rage, despair, and desire. The feelings held a semblance of her pain, only
deeper and more refined. Sefaril couldn't place the focus of the desire, even
had she been in the right mindset to try. The emotions were all so overwhelming
that she was having trouble separating her own heart from the pain that was
being pressed on her.

An enraged voice howled like a tempest from the portal, causing more of the
orc horde to abandon their attack. Those that remained were either too stupid
to recognize the danger they were in, or too afraid of losing face before their
commanders. Regardless, the remaining orcs set themselves up in a surprisingly
organized defensive ring, with their weapons bared, when a black-haired figure
fell from the portal.

It was immediately apparent to Sefaril that the figure was male, though he
was moving too fast for her to recognize much else. The moment his body hit the
ground, he was rolling to his feet and settled into an unarmed defensive stance
that resembled the ones that Ethalliandra and Ked were using. From her
position, she could see his face and the expression he wore made Sefaril shiver
with fear.

His stormy eyes glowed with power and a strange, seed-shaped symbol blazed
in the center of his forehead. The emblem was literally aflame with indigo fire,
but it was a cold fire that chilled the air around him. His eyes fell to Sefaril
and Aelin, and then passed over Maric's pale form. His eyes narrowed at the
sight of the wound on the elf's side and closed completely after he looked at
Sefaril. She wasn't notably pregnant yet, but from the way his anger grew colder
still when he turned his attention on the orcs, she could tell that he knew
she was with child.

When he struck, there was no mercy. He refused to listen to pleas for clemency
and none of the orcs present left the field alive. Sefaril had been a part of
many battles along side her husband. She had even met Maric on the battlefield
in Cormyr, so she wasn't squeamish or easily disturbed by the sight of extreme
violence. This though, wasn't anything near what she was used to. The man moved
too fast for the eye to follow, and where ever he appeared an orc would die
in an extreme fashion. Some would explode, others would fall apart, and one
or two had simply fallen over screaming in agony sporting no visible wounds.

By this miracle, had they survived, but Sefaril couldn't celebrate. She
could feel her husband fading and she wailed as he slipped away. The poison had
locked his jaw shut, and made his body stiff. He tried to speak anyway, but the
soft sounds that he managed to create were nothing more than grunts.

"Maric! Stay with me! Don't leave us!"

She knew she was going to pieces, but couldn't restrain her panic. Her baby
needed its father. She needed her husband. They had been through so much
together — from the racial prejudice that had come from a human woman loving an
elf, to the many battles and wars that they had fought. She felt her panic ease
as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up into the stormy blue eyes
of the half-elven man that had saved them. There was no compassion there, but
there was understanding. Their savior turned his attention to Maric and settled
on the bloody ground beside him.

"I can't heal you." His voice was flat and emotionless. He paused
or a moment, cocking his head as if listening to something and then nodded.
"I will protect them for you. Yes. As if they were my own."

Sefaril looked at her husband's face and watched his features relaxed.

"Go, Maric Kalavir." The warrior's voice was quiet. Not soft, by
any means, but quiet all the same. "Sehanine awaits you." There was
a lengthy pause as the warrior looked at Maric intently. "Don't worry about
them. I'll send them to you when it's time."

Sefaril's husband nodded with difficulty and tried to lift his hand to his
wife's cheek. As his arm started to fall, the warrior's hand blurred and caught
it. Sefaril pulled it to her lips and kissed the palm tenderly, before placing
it on her pregnant belly.

Maric took one last deep breath and smiled. Sefaril watched the light leave
his eyes and knew that her husband was gone. Ethalliandra quickly began to
gather their scattered belongings from the wreckage of the caravan, and check
for other survivors. Sefaril couldn't bring herself to care. The warrior
finally motioned for Aelin to care for Sefaril, then stood and lifted Maric's
body into his arms. He passed the body to Ked Moonson and then gently lifted
Sefaril into his arms.

"Follow me."

It wasn't a command, but there was little room for disobedience. The group
made their way into the thick pines alongside of the caravan road. The only
sound beyond the song of nature was the quiet weeping of Aelin and Sefaril as
they mourned. The pregnant woman couldn't even bring herself to look at their
savior, let alone thank him for rescuing them. All she could do at the moment
was feel the sharp emptiness of her loss. The half-elf didn't seem to care one
way or another. He simply walked deeper into the pine forest.

She wasn't certain how far they had walked. Time had little meaning for her
at the moment. But when they did stop, she found herself at the crown of a
tall, barren, hill that overlooked the road. It was a beautiful view, one that
Maric would have loved.

"Set the body there."

The warrior pointed to a place at the center of the hill as he eased Sefaril
to the ground. Aelin rushed to her sister's side and clung to her as Ked moved
to do the warrior's bidding. Ethalliandra came up behind Sefaril and supported
the pregnant woman's back with her own body. There were other survivors from
the caravan with them, but the mourning widow ignored them in favor of looking
between the dark-haired half-elf and the body of her husband. They watched as
their dark-haired savior motioned Ked back and started pacing around Maric's
body. He finally stopped and frowned, narrowing his eyes at the body in deep
concentration. He lifted his arms and cupped his hands, palms facing one another,
over his heart, and began taking deep breaths. Then something in the air changed.

It was a subtle weight at first, a pressure that steadily grew into a notable
tingling. Maric's body began to glow in the fading light of evening, and Aelin
gasped as the dark-haired man began to move in a fluid dance of grace and power.
Gone was the causal destruction they had witnessed before, and in its place
was a subtle… nurturing… series of movements that left one breathless.

The warrior didn't stray far from Maric's body as he circled the hilltop,
and every once in a while he seemed to blur. It wasn't until Maric's body was
fully buried that Sefaril sensed the magic of the area begin to bend around the
man. She expected him to stop once Maric was interred, but he didn't. She
couldn't really tell what he was doing or why, but the magic continued to bend
and weave with his every move. It wasn't until Ethalliandra gasped and pointed
to the ground where Maric's body had been, that the mage finally understood.

A sapling was rapidly growing at the center of the warrior's dance. It
continued to grow larger and faster with each circuit, mimicking the man's
quickening pace. His body was now glowing indigo, much in the same way that
Maric's had done earlier. The light was oddly comforting in the growing shadow
of the large tree. She couldn't place the type of tree that was entombing her
husband, she'd never been that good with woodcraft. But its massive trunk and
thick branches were fitting all the same. Maric would have loved to climb and
nap among its branches.

The small group of survivors watched in awe as the massive tree finally stopped
growing. The sun was now beneath the horizon, and Sefaril could see stars in
the darkening sky. The branches of the majestic three hundred and fifty foot
tree blocked many of those stars. Yet rather than feel disheartened, Sefaril
felt safe and secure. It was as if a piece of her husband was watching over
and sheltering them. The dark-haired warrior ended his graceful dance and settled
on one of the thick, man-sized roots.

"You died honorably, Maric Kalavir." His voice was quiet, but carried
with it a sense of immense power. "You gave your life followin' the Code,
protectin' those that couldn't protect themselves."

He placed his palm against the trunk of the tree and bowed his head. His voice
became a whisper that still carried on the rapidly cooling air.

"I honor your sacrifice. Rest easy and know that I will protect your
family, just like I promised."

Sefaril felt something wash over her. It was a blanket of warmth and peace
that made her feel… not happy… secure. Her world had been changed
irrevocably, but it wasn't such a dark place any more. The man lifted his head
and stared into the shadows of a large skirted pine across from Sefaril and her
companions sat. His eyes glowed white for a moment, and then his body relaxed.

"We'll camp here and heal up. Once everyone is fit to travel, we'll
decide what we need to do or where you want ta go." He pointed to Ked and
another man. "Gather up some extra hands so we can go find some blankets
and stuff."

Sefaril found his eyes drift to her, but he seemed to be looking beyond her.

"Get a fire started and keep her warm until I can find something for her."
Sefaril felt Ethalliandra nod at her back. "The rest of you sit tight and
watch for trouble. If you see any more of them oinkers, call out real loud and
we'll come runnin'. Got that?"

Sefaril didn't see, but could imagine the rest of the survivors nodding to
him. She felt Ethalliandra and Aelin shift places as the elf woman and another
figure left to collect firewood. Still, Sefaril couldn't take her eyes from the
half-elven man walking towards her. Even with the light sheen of sweat on his
face and the pain hidden behind his stormy eyes, the mage could feel his power.
The sigil on his brow flashed, and his gaze turned away from Sefaril for a
moment to look towards the Southeast.

"There you are."

She noted the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, and she finally saw a
bit of his humanity break through his hard, stony exterior. He was a pillar
of strength, which is what she needed now more than ever. Just by looking at
him, she knew that his promise to Maric would be fulfilled. When his gaze fell
on her again, the stoic mask was back in place, smooth and unrelenting.

"You and yer baby're gonna be all right, Sefaril Kalavir. And when the
time comes, you'll move on ta be with yer husband. I don't know when that'll
be, but between now and then yer gonna live for the baby." He rested his
hand on her shoulder. "You live for the baby, and I'll take care of the
rest."

It was a promise between them. One that Sefaril could readily agree to. The
message was clear; Maric might be absent, but he wasn't gone. The love of her
life might be gone, but that didn't mean her life would be without love. She
had a reason to live, and she had a little more than seven months left to grieve
and prepare before Maric's child came into the world. Sefaril hugged the man
awkwardly and whispered her thanks for that he had done for her. The man simply
nodded and patted her shoulder. He didn't smile, but his eyes seemed to relax
a bit as he stood to leave. He took a step away before she found the courage
to snatch up his hand.

"What is your name?" It was a breathless question that caused the
man to pause. He scratched the base of his braided pigtail absently as he
looked down on her.

"Ranma. Ranma Saotome."

A gasp and the clatter of wood falling to the ground made Ranma spin in place
and settle into a solid defensive posture. Sefaril followed his gaze to where
Ethalliandra stood gaping at the dark-haired warrior. To the mage's astonishment,
the Moon Elf fell to her knees and pressed her forehead to the grass. Ranma
growled and stalked over to the prone elf.

He lifted her to her feet and whispered something to her that made her lovely
eyes bulge with disbelief. She nodded shakily and began to collect the firewood
as the man stalked off towards the group that Ked had gathered. The large man
started to fall to his knees, but Ranma blurred again and caught Ethalliandra's
companion by the arm before he could get too far. Another whispered discussion
had the bear of a man nodding rapidly, and then the group was gone, marching
back the way they had come.

Sefaril pondered the interaction as a way to stave off the gnawing heartache
that was waiting to assault her. She even went so far as to ask Ethalliandra
about it, but found her question brushed aside as the woman had Aelin light
the fire with a cantrip. As she settled back into her thoughts, she noted an
oddly-shaped shadow in the branches of her husband's tree above her. It wasn't
a figure. Not exactly. Nor was it a trick of the light. It was something unnatural
that had moved against the light of the glowing fire. She was certain of it.
The mage wished that Onuli had survived the battle. Her pixie familiar would
have been able to investigate the oddity.

By the time the scavenging group returned, thoughts of the creature had fled
as Sefaril fell into a troubled sleep. Whenever her dreams would turn dark or
troubling, a majestic black horse would appear and drive the nightmares away.
The pain of her loss might still be there, but the presence of the wild stallion
brought her great comfort. It was something that she would come to cherish in
the days ahead.

On the road to Silverymoon
The Everlund Pass

Alustriel's letter was doubly surprising once Usagi had gotten the opportunity
to read it. With the amount of drink she and her companions imbibed the night
of the dinner, it had taken a full day, and the aid of a mysterious gift, for
Usagi to completely recover. Between the vomiting and the nasty headaches, she
vowed to Ulin that she never wanted to drink alcohol again. Silea Dunhill appeared
soon after this declaration, carrying the foulest smelling concoction Usagi
had ever had the displeasure of experiencing. The scent alone drove the Silver
Princess into another vomiting fit, but after finally getting the nasty potion
down her throat, most of her hangover disappeared.

She spent the afternoon drinking water and eating baked crackers, while Ulin
gathered information about the Everlund Pass and preparing everyone to leave.
Feldrin took the opportunity to learn more about her father from Eaerlraun,
but refused to talk about their closed-door sessions. Viet was in the same boat
as Usagi, but Shandri had come out of the evening's festivities without so much
as a headache. She envied the girl's stamina long enough to learn that she had
only sipped where everyone else had guzzled. It was a hard-won lesson, but Usagi
vowed to mimic her the next time she was pressed into another formal dinner.
It wasn't until late afternoon of the day after the dinner that she got around
to opening Alustriel's rather unusual letter.

It wasn't so much a letter as it was an itinerary, laying out a schedule for
personal time to be spent with Alustriel herself. She introduced herself and
spoke at length about her sisters who would be joining them, informally
introducing Storm and Sylune through descriptions and a small section where the
women had taken the opportunity to write their own notes to Usagi. Alustriel
ended the strange letter with a request to know how many people would be
accompanying her and gave her instructions on how to reply — detailing out the
fiery sparrow spell the High Lady had used to contact Usagi with upon arriving
in Everlund.

Upon reading the letter, Ulin had looked at Usagi as if the girl had grown
another head. When asked about her reaction, Ulin had skillfully evaded Usagi's
questions and returned to her preparations. The second day after the dinner was
spent in the company of Eaerlraun, Feldrin, Viet, and Shandri. The Lord of
Moongleam Tower gave them a tour of Everlund and introduced them to a number of
fairly important people, none of whose names Usagi could remember by the time
they had returned to the tower. On the evening of the second day a small
package arrived at the tower for Usagi, with a short note that simply said:
"This trifle pales in comparison to your radiance."

Upon reading the message, Usagi blushed at the realization that it had come from
a secret admirer and it took the combined efforts of Shandri, Dinah, and
Feldrin to get her to open the present. The pearly white stone was spindle
shaped and looked very costly. Usagi had examined it closely and soon realized
that it was magical, not through any detection of her own either. She had no
sooner placed the stone back in the small box lined with black velvet, than the
curious artifact rose into the air and began orbiting her head. Once the stone
was safely circling her head, Usagi was surprised to note that the residual ill
effects of her dubious drinking experience finally disappeared.

When Ulin returned later that night, she stumbled into a wall upon seeing Usagi's
gift and began demanding to know where she had come across the magical stone.
The Genasi's already worried expression became truly troubled after reading
the note. And when learning the use and apparent value of the Ioun Stone, Usagi
became concerned as well. Whoever sent the gift to her (benevolent, as it might
seem) was either rich beyond sense, a powerful magic user, or a combination
of the two. Usagi's first thought was of the stormy-eyed pigtailed boy in her
dreams. But upon reflection, she knew that it wasn't him, even if she didn't
understand the reasons backing that knowledge.

So it was that, at dawn on their third day in Everlund, Usagi had placed the
stone in a pouch and hung it around her neck. The mysterious admirer would no
doubt make himself known in time, but only on his terms. Until then, she would
have to focus herself on the trip to Silverymoon. With preparations complete,
it was time to be on their way.

Ulin pulled everything together in a miraculously short amount of time in deference
to getting Usagi to Alustriel as soon as possible. The extra dresses and clothing
would be sent to Silverymoon with the last caravan, in care of Alustriel, and
those clothes that were finished were carefully packed away. The sorceress had
even made it a point to buy gifts for the High Lady and her sisters, much to
Usagi's surprise. This of course pretty much gutted the rest of the available
cash reserves gained from Hearthman's estate. Any more purchases would have
to wait until funds started coming in from the mines and the sale of Hearthman's
pricey art collection. Ulin had a little bit of money squirreled away for emergencies,
but nothing that would cover any major expenses.

Once everything was packed, the group took their leave of Moongleam Tower and
Everlund. Their numbers had grown by three, as Eaerlraun had insisted that Bolo,
Fhyme, and another man named Aerven see the group to Silverymoon. The Moonlord
pressed a large sum of gold into Ulin's hands to pay the way of the extra hands,
and invited all to return someday.

The first day out from Everlund they made wonderful time, snaking their way
through the Nether foothills on the winding trail that marked the road to
Silverymoon. The Nether Mountains loomed to their right, and to their left lay
the ancient forest known as the Silverwood. Bolo and Aerven told tales of
Turlag the Treant, the guardian of the Silverwood, that night over dinner.
Dinah had been enthralled in the stories and fought going to bed, until Ulin
reminded her of the promise she had made. Shandri's sister had pouted all the
way to her bedroll, and from the way the child wiggled it was a long time
before she fell asleep.

The second day was warm, but Fhyme pointed out the clouds gathering in the
higher parts of the Nether Mountains and called for rain in the next couple of
days. Their pace slowed some as the trails seemed to get steeper and more
winding the further along they went. Usagi pestered Ulin to tell her more about
Alustriel and why she was so nervous about the woman, until the Genasi finally
broke down and gave in.

She pulled Usagi aside and privately regaled her about her first and last meeting
with the High Lady of the Silver Marches, over thirty years past. They had met
at a Mage Fair in a little demi-plane off the Beastlands. Usagi had no idea
where that was, and Ulin didn't think it important enough to elaborate, so she
ignored the reference. DelRoy Harpell, who was speaking at a symposium with
Ulin acting as his assistant, had introduced her to Alustriel. One of Ulin's
cousins had thought it would be comical to prank Ulin, and gave her a rather
potent alcoholic beverage "to settle her nerves". Ulin, smashed out
of her gourd, dropped a crate of experiments and visual aides that DelRoy had
brought for the lecture. One thing led to another, and then… well, Ulin
just hoped the High Lady was forgiving. It was well known that the woman had
an incredible memory. In her defense, Ulin had been drunk at the time, and DelRoy's
potion wasn't supposed to dissolve Alustriel's dress like it had, nor was it
supposed to turn the High Lady's skin that fetching plum color.

By the end of the tale, Usagi was clutching her sides and howling with
laughter. She continued to laugh long after Ulin left in a huff, and woke on
the third morning sore and still giggling. She apologized to her friend, and
tried her best to ease her fears about meeting up with Alustriel again. It
didn't seem to help much, especially as Usagi couldn't help but giggle every
time she looked at Ulin.

The third day out was a bit windy, and held the scent of rain. But, much to
the group's pleasure, none came. The way became a bit more difficult for the
travelers, with steep inclines and precarious turns along cliff sides that paced
the Rauvin River over a hundred feet below. This switchback slowed their pace
quite a bit, but Bolo assured Usagi they would make it to Silverymoon by the
morning of the fourth day at the latest. She idly wondered if he had factored
a midday battle with giants into his estimate.

The boom of another boulder exploding overhead kept the group pinned down beneath
a large overhang. The carriage had been abandoned after the first boulder crushed
two of the four horses that were pulling it. The other two were injured and
from the looks of things would have to be put down. Aerven was seriously injured
before everyone could make it to the overhang, and in that moment Usagi was
grateful for the gift of the Ioun Stone, if for no other reason than it was
going to save the man's life. Across the way, Feldrin, Bolo, and Ulin were pinned
down by another barrage of stone. She looked at the frightened faces of Silea
and Dinah and seeing that they were here in mortal danger, was seriously upsetting
Usagi a great deal.

"This is ridiculous." She growled. She stood to her full height and
held her locket up high above her head. "MOON ETERNAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

She ignored the shocked and uncertain looks on the faces of her new friends
as the magic settled into place. Her only thought was getting Silea and Dinah
to safety. She idly noted Ulin, Shandri, and Feldrin scrambling after her.

"ANADIA!"

"COLIAR!"

"GARDEN!"

Each of the women called on their magic in turn, flooding the area with enough
power to give the giants above pause. The boulders stopped long enough for Sailor
Moon and her Senshi to get into the clear. Rather than being terrified as she
usually was, Sailor Moon buried herself in the anger she felt towards the giants
for endangering a mother and her child. She did not dodge the large, car-sized
rocks as they fell around her. They didn't seem to be coming close to her so
she just ignored them and looked up to the positions of the towering behemoths.
There were five of the creatures. Their stone-gray skin and bald heads made
it difficult to see them, but their constant movement gave them away.

The vicious smiles on their faces only made her more and more upset. The
thought that they were purposefully enjoying this pushed her over the edge.
Something in her snapped and Sailor Moon disappeared in a blinding flash that
caused all of the giants to cry out in fear and anger. When light returned to
normal, the Silver Princess stood regally at the center of her Senshi. The
giants raised their boulders again, intent on smashing this sorceress before
she could cast any spells.

"STOP THIS!" The roaring sound of her voice caused the walls of
the small canyon to rumble.

One of the giants was hit in the head, and subsequently squished, by a hut-sized
boulder that had come loose from above him. Serenity neither noticed nor cared
at the moment, as all of her attention was on the leader of the band. The giant
in question was over fifteen feet tall and was over seven feet wide at the shoulder.
His huge muscles looked as if they were carved stone, rather than flesh. Serenity,
by the presence of her power alone, seemed to tower over the monster.

"Why are you attacking us?" she demanded. Her voice didn't shake
the stones this time, but she still seemed extremely dangerous.

"Um…." The leader of the giants looked to his companions, who
all shrugged. They had all faced humans before, and never once had any of those
battles played out like this one was. They just didn't know how to deal with
this pretty little woman. Her impatience getting the better of her, Serenity
began tapping her foot and her frown became a scowl.

"Come down here." When the giants didn't immediately obey her, her
eyes glowed and the crescent moon on her forehead blazed with power. "Come
down here, NOW!"

To the amazement of everyone involved, the four remaining giants hastily
complied with the command. Serenity noted that the Loras were now stalking the
high ground, waiting for her signal to pounce. She shook her head and waved
them away, before turning her attention back to the giants. She placed her
hands on her shapely hips and scowled up at the leader in a pose that was the
picture of an incensed woman.

"Did you know that we have a child in our company?" The demand was
made in her best imitation of an extremely cross Ikuko Tsukino. The lead giant
shook his head. "How would you feel if I started throwing big rocks at
your daughter?"

The giant scratched his head, obviously perplexed. "Fine, I guess."

"Fine! What if I hurt her!" Serenity demanded.

"That's just silly! A rock hurting Dolga's daughter!" The giant
laughed. His companions joined in until Serenity stomped her foot, making the
ground tremble with the blow.

"And what if she threw fire or lightning?" Ulin asked calmly.
"What then?"

This seemed to grab the monster's attention. He looked angry for a moment,
until he saw the still burning crescent moon on Serenity's forehead. He hung
his head and shuffled his gargantuan feet.

"I'd be upset," he admitted.

"Upset? Upset! You killed two of my horses and injured the other two!
Not only that, but you hurt one of my friends really badly!" Serenity's
voice became very outraged. "You'd best go apologize to everyone right
now before you see me get really upset!"

The party members were astonished as the giants followed through with
Serenity's demand. One by one they made their way to everyone, apologizing and
begging forgiveness. Every once in a while they would look back to Serenity who
was, by this point, blazing like a small star. When they had finished, they
returned to her side and averted their faces, unable to look at her.

"Since you killed our horses, you are going to help us go the rest of
the way to Silverymoon." The giant looked up sharply, but quailed beneath
the fiery stare Serenity shot his way. "Now then, there were five of you.
Where is your friend?"

"You squished ‘im," Dolga said petulantly.

"WHAT?" Serenity looked back at her Senshi in fear. "Take me
to him!"

This took the giant leader by surprise. "Uh, why?" The bewilderment
expressed by the giant was echoed between the Senshi and the rest of Serenity's
group.

"So I can heal him!" she said in exasperation.

"You want to heal Broan?" Dolga asked incredulously. This was
unheard of. It just didn't happen. The giant looked down on Serenity with open
confusion. "Why?"

"Because he's hurt." She wanted to scream. All of this stalling was
pushing her frayed nerves to new heights. She started up the rocks towards the
position where she had seen Broan last. Everyone watched her blankly, radiating
disbelief. The Silver Princess ignored them all, hiking her dress up over her
knees and ran to the rocky slope. It took the giants a moment to realize that
she was serious, and once they did, three of them sat down on the ground while
Dolga took two steps and gently scooped Serenity up onto his shoulder. Ulin
and Feldrin bristled, but Shandri held them back as the giant began picking
his way up the rocky mountainside.

It didn't take them long to make it to Broan's side, and one look at him told
Usagi that she was too late. He was there, the dark-haired man she'd fought
outside of Hemmerling. He stood next to Broan, waiting for her to arrive. Dolga
stopped the moment he saw the armored figure standing next to his kin.

"Jeruul."

"What?"

"Death." The sound of Dolga's reverent, if not fearful, voice
reminded the Silver Princess of tumbling stones.

"Set me down." The icy tone of her voice left no room for
argument. Dolga did as he was told and stepped back a fair distance. She didn't
pay much attention to him as she strode forward to the already cooling body.

"Well met, Serenity Silverhand." The man's voice was warm and
companionable, nothing like she had ever associated with Death before.
"I'm glad that we could meet again so soon."

"I wish that I could say the same," she said evenly.

If Kelemvor was offended, his smiling face did not show it. Even if he had
been, the Silver Princess wouldn't have cared. She only had eyes for Broan's
bloody head and wide, staring eyes.

"You have taken him," she accused.

"It was his time."

"I want him back," she demanded.

"You cannot have him." Kelemvor's voice was quiet but firm.

"What do you want for his soul?" she asked bluntly.

The armored man shook his head sadly.

"Nothing."

"Why not?" she yelled. "This being died because of me! At least
give me the opportunity to set things right!"

"This is right, Daughter of Mysteries." Kelemvor crossed the
intervening space and laid his hands on her shoulders. She tried to free
herself not out of fear, but out of growing anger.

"IT IS NOT!" She pounded on his breastplate, but he drew her close.
Tears of frustration were rolling down her cheeks and still she pounded against
him. The ringing was thunderous as she instinctively channeled the power of
the Ginzuishou through her fists and after a time, small fist-sized dints started
to appear on the ornate breastplate. Kelemvor didn't seem to notice the damage
as he began to softly stroke her back.

"This was Broan's time, Serenity. Whether by accident or design, it was
his moment to move on to the next great mountain — to join his grandfathers and
their grandfathers. Would you rob him of that joy?"

The Silver Princess only wept in response. All she could think about was the
cold, empty sense of loss that Broan's family would be feeling.

"Death is a natural thing, Daughter of Mysteries. It is the prescribed
end of all life, the great inevitability. Why do you fight it so?"

She didn't answer right away, trying to sift through and center all of her
emotions into a coherent answer.

"Because it makes people suffer."

Kelemvor chuckled. "If that is true, then why do you not battle as fiercely
against life as well?" Serenity just looked up at Kelemvor blankly. "Life
is the definition of suffering, Serenity. Everyday is one more battle in a constant
war against suffering. Mortality's struggles are defined by the suffering they
overcome. Death is not the end of suffering, but it is a respite from the struggle."

She looked at the cooling body of the giant not far off and sighed. "I
don't understand."

"You will, in time." He kissed her forehead.

"What if I don't want to?" she asked.

"What you desire is not necessarily what you need. You will understand
death's purpose in time." He dried her tears with his thumb. "Until
then, go with my blessing and think on my words." He released her and looked
up at Dolga.

"You will see her safely to her destination, Dolga, son of Fergol. Do
this and your life will be long and fulfilling." The consequences of not
doing so were quite obvious. The giant nodded and trembled in his overlarge
animal-skin boots.

Kelemvor turned away and began walking up the rocky slope. Before he
disappeared around a massive boulder, he paused and looked back at the Silver
Princess.

"I do not wish to be your enemy, Serenity Silverhand." He grinned
widely. "Your mother would be cross with me if that happened."

Serenity watched as the god of death disappeared around the large outcrop.
She didn't hear his boots fading in the distance or the echo of his armor clanking
together. He was just… gone. She felt the power leave her, and with it
gone Serenity became Usagi again. Only this time, a little less of Usagi returned
while more of Serenity remained.

The void of loss hit her like a freight train. She looked at the body of
Broan and the angry tears she'd gotten under control broke free again. She
wept, barely taking note of Dolga kneeling beside her. She didn't hear Ulin or
Shandri or Feldrin come up behind her, or register their warm embrace. All she
saw was the dead body of Broan, with its brains splayed out all over the ground
and a small lake of blood pooling beneath the body. It was a nightmare come
true. Accident or not, she had been the cause of it. She had been the angry
one. She had been the one intent on hurting those who had hurt and endangered
her friends. She was the responsible one because she had the power to avoid the
consequences altogether.

She grabbed hold of Dolga's massive, dangling hand and let the sorrow flow.
She kept whispering apologies over and over, much to the giant's surprise and
discomfort. She cried until fatigue finally overtook her and sleep came. It
wasn't a refuge though. The dreams still came, and with them the guilt came
too.

Klauthen Vale

Klauth had laughed until he felt he was going to die. His Silver Princess,
scolding giants as if they were hatchlings! The symmetry of the moment was beautiful.
The death of the Stone Giant had been priceless as well. All in all, it was
an event like no other, one that brought back feelings he'd not felt in years.
Yet, when his beloved realized that the stupid creature had perished, her behavior
confused Klauth greatly. Rather than being proud of the kill as any dragon would,
she had felt concern. Then there was the one-sided conversation she'd had. That
had been worse than confusing, because Klauth knew that someone was really there.
The fact that the dragon's scrying was being repelled, made it apparent that
the being was well-versed in powerful magic.

He could guess the topic of discussion between his Silver Princess and this
mysterious invisible figure, but not the reasoning behind it. A kill was a kill.
It was an obstacle to over come, and by doing so, his beloved was the triumphant
one. Why was her victory tainted with tears and remorse?

The ancient red dragon shifted his wounded bulk and growled in frustration.

Wait. Remorse? Could she actually be feeling compassion for a Stone Giant?
Was such a thing possible? Old Snarl watched the scrying mirror, judging her
actions and body language carefully. When the young woman latched onto the other
giant's hand and began apologizing, Klauth's fears were realized. How could
she feel remorse for killing a giant?

The question would worry the dragon for a very long time. But, when the
answer finally did come to him, the Silver Princess just became all the more
precious to him.

Lantan

The Festival of Creation was a festival of great import on the Isles of
Lantan. It was a showcase of talent and ideas, wherein great minds celebrated
their industry and honored the Great Maker, Gond. In closest terms, it was much
like a Magefair… with just as much noise and weirdness.

There were booths displaying all manner of technological gadgets and
doohickeys that were supposed to make life easier — assuming you survived the
experience of using the items you were purchasing. Wandering debates on steam
power versus wind power and floating symposiums proudly demonstrating a new
tool or technique, swept people up and deposited them in front of some new
distraction. Children rode automated rides or watched as Techsmiths pitted
their Gondsmen against one another in wrestling matches.

It was a bright celebration of ingenuity and progress.

Most who came were suitably impressed by the opportunity to see the new creations
of their fellows, even if they were jaded veterans of the Festival. But one
Gondar priest amongst the throng was neither impressed nor excited about the
coming of this day. Haroun Mostana was nervous, and rightly so. Despite all
of his efforts to the contrary, he had been unable to prevent Duncan Steelwater
and that thrice damned Keiichi Morisato from confirming their participation.
The crowds, upon hearing that the competition was still going forward, came
out in droves — even the Builders Council and the highest members of the
church were on hand to witness the event.

The fact that the dwarf was still participating after all that Mostana had
done to ensure his forfeiture was more than disconcerting. It was distressing.
The gnome wasn't sure whether the dwarf was just displaying the dogged
stubbornness of his race, or proving that he truly had the favor of Gond. The
Wonderbringer alone knew that, since the destruction of the Steelwater's home
and shop, Haroun hadn't been able to cast a single spell to save his life. His
prayers and petitions had been unanswered and his attempts at penance were
being ignored. It didn't matter how much gold or supplies he donated to the
church, nor did it seem to matter how charitable he was to his neighbors and
friends. Gond was silent and that, above all else, was what had the Artificer
on edge.

The only bright spot in all of this was the judges' panel that High Builder
Maverly had called in to officiate the controversial match. Two of the judges
were gnomes that Haroun had greased long ago, and the other three were, at
best, neutral towards him. There was only one judge among the three that Haroun
hadn't been able to approach, and not or lack of trying either. The burly gnome
with the red beard simply stared at Haroun with a frigid glare and walked away.

There was no real opportunity for Mostana to sabotage the entries, but that
didn't mean that he couldn't pay someone else to do it. The Artificer arranged
for his demonstration to be held last, and had found ten very enterprising
apprentices to make some last minute changes to the testing range that his
challengers had requested.

It wasn't that he lacked faith in his entry. No, he was certain that the
Solar Cannon would be well received by the panel and by his god. War was
profitable, and this invention alone would certainly make the church quite a
bit of money… if only to keep the weapon off the fields of battle. No, the
reason for rigging the course had more to do with the desire to see these two
upstarts humiliated in front of the entire community. Mostana hungered to see
Steelwater shamed from the island. In the distance, he could see a large,
covered wagon being pulled by that damnable Iron Horse of theirs. Haroun
snarled and swept through the crowds towards the proving grounds.

Yes, indeed. He would see Duncan Steelwater weep and beg for mercy before
the day was through.

Turnstone Pass
Northwest of the Talons

The Shadovar held up the Rod of Shadows and motioned his servant forward.

"What have you discovered, my pet?"

The feminine shadow held out her hands to her master, and at his nod she kissed
him. The sights, sounds, and experiences of the creature's spying poured into
his consciousness. It was all there, from the waylaid caravan, to the heroic
death of the elf, to the opening of the strange portal. The Shadovar swallowed
hard at the slaughter of the orcs and the sight of the memorial seemed to unnerve
him even more.

"This is a Power," he whispered. Shaken, the Shadovar agent said
nothing to the Shadow Servant as he took his leave, yet it followed him loyally
to the portal stone anyway. The Princes would be informed, and they would make
the decision on how to proceed. He simply hoped that they would allow him the
blessing of being assigned to some task far away from this Ranma Saotome. He
had no desire to die anytime soon.

Silverymoon

Alustriel spent the days following the events in Velprintalar, scrambling to
prepare her castle to receive their very special guest. She and the other
sisters had poured over the words their goddess had spoken, looking for the
deeper meanings and a greater understanding of the mystery Mystra had set
before them.

Alassra began casting auguries the hour after Mystra's presence fled, and
hadn't stopped since. The girl's splotchy past was filled with great tragedy
and constant struggle, and what little the Simbul had been able to learn of
this Silver Princess surprised and astonished the Seven. It wasn't everyday
that you learned the true fate of your mother.

Laeral and Sylune chose to focus their efforts on the present, scrying much
the same as a smitten red dragon was for information on the current doings of
this Silver Princess. Not only were they impressed, they fell to the same trap
as Old Snarl; only with different results. They missed out on the events in
Everlund Pass, and the current image in their scrying pool was of a sleeping
girl with long silver hair, much like their own.

"She's so young and cute!" Laeral gushed.

"Much cuter than you ever were." Sylune grinned.

"I was never cute." The Lady Mage of Waterdeep stuck her nose in
the air petulantly. She was beautiful, not cute! Her sister Storm snorted
from her position opposite Sylune.

But it was Alustriel that drove the nail home, as only a sister could. "I
think we can all agree to that."

The High Lady of the Silver Marches stuck her tongue out and held her nose,
as if warding off a nasty smell. Laeral threw a very offensive gesture her
sister's way, causing Storm and Sylune to giggle. Alustriel blew her sister a
loving kiss and then turned her attention back to the scrying pool.

"We can't let the others get to her just yet." Storm looked on the
girl with a soft smile.

"Most certainly not!" Sylune agreed.

"Can you imagine the corruption?" Laeral pressed the back of her
hand against her forehead and feigned swooning.

"Aren't we the pot calling the kettle black?" Sylune grinned irreverently.
All the sisters laughed. They hadn't had this much fun in ages.

"Qilue wouldn't be so bad," Storm said.

"True, but we want to have room to corrupt her ourselves." Laeral
wiggled her eyebrows.

"To say the least!" Alustriel and Storm cheered.

"Besides, what good is dancing naked beneath the full moon while waving
a sword around? The Eighth Star needs to be weaned on the milk of Intrigues,
Magic, and Mysteries!"

"I'm sure that we can fit an intrigue or two into her itinerary, dear
sister," Sylune deadpanned.

Alustriel opened her mouth to deliver her own pithy comment, but she was interrupted
by a quiet knock on her chamber door. With standing orders not to disturb her,
Alustriel knew that whoever was on the other side of the door must have pressing
need to interrupt her scrying. The High Lady banished the image in the pool
and crossed the room in a swirl of cloth. She opened the door slowly and was
greeted by the weathered face of Taern Hornblade, the High Mage of Silverymoon.
The man bowed deeply at the waist to his queen, but the grim expression on his
face didn't falter.

It rarely did, Alustriel noted with some humor. "Taern?"

"Forgive the intrusion, milady. But, there is something outside the
Blacklar Gate that requires your attention."

Alustriel returned to her scrying pool, and with a wave of her elegant hand
called up an image of the gate. The sight of four Stone Giants standing behind
a horseless carriage and flanked by a small company of riders caused her to
raise an eyebrow. She looked at her sisters, who only shrugged. The jade-skinned
woman arguing with the gatemaster was very familiar to Alustriel. She and her
sisters had been watching her since leaving Velprintalar. Another gesture brought
the sounds of the conversation into the scrying room.

"…annot explain what I do not understand myself, Gatemaster Yuleth!
They insisted on accompanying us out of the Pass, and I am not one to argue
with a giant intent on protecting me. I say again, and will continue to say it
until it takes hold, we are here at the High Lady's invitation. At the very
least send word to her of our arrival."

Laeral murmured something about the green woman having "good sense not
to argue with a giant" before being hushed by her sisters.

"Word has already been sent to the Palace, Mistress Harpell. However, I
still cannot allow you entry into the city as long as they are in your
company." Gatemaster Yuleth pointed to the squatting behemoths behind the
carriage. Alustriel waved her hand again, silencing the pool and causing the
image to disappear.

"It seems that Ulin is getting a little frustrated," Sylune noted.
"How long will you let her stew for your ruined dress?"

"It wasn't the dress that upset me," Alustriel groused. "It
took over four months for my skin color to return to normal."

"Surely the Shining Lady isn't so petty?" Laeral asked with a wry
grin. Alustriel snorted and stuck her tongue out at the Lady Mage of Waterdeep.
A discreet cough from Taern brought the women back to the problem at hand.

"Let us go, sisters," Alustriel offered her arm to Sylune, who took
it eagerly. "We must greet our guests properly."

The four silver-haired women swept pass Taern, each kissing the stoic man on
the cheek as they passed him. Once free from the scrying room, Alustriel called
on her magic to teleport the group down to Blacklar Gate.

Blacklar Gate
Silverymoon

Ulin was reaching the end of her rope with the man in front of her. She knew
he was just doing his job, but this was ridiculous. He wouldn't let anyone in until
he received word from the Palace, and everyone was getting hungry. The giants
were getting restless, which had a rather alarming effect on the guardsmen
along the wall. A number of weapons were being openly brandished and she
counted at least three practitioners of the Art on the wall above the gate
itself.

She had purposely avoided waking Usagi in order to give the girl a long
needed rest. The events on the mountain had obviously distressed her, and Ulin
vowed to deal with this problem without involving her Lady.

"Gatemaster Yuleth, report."

Ulin's eyes bugged and her stomach turned to stone at the sound of that voice.
The soldier before her snapped to attention crisply and saluted Alustriel as
she and… Oh, sweet Mystra preserve and protect! That was Storm and Laeral!
It seemed two of the Seven were visiting Silverymoon. Ulin was dead. She just
knew it. Sighing, she curtsied deeply to Alustriel as the woman stopped before
her. The Gatemaster rambled on about the giants and the oddness of the party
before him, but Ulin ignored everything except holding her bowed position.

If she were going to die, then at the very least she would die with some
dignity. She waited to be turned away, or worse, but what she received instead
was Alustriel bowed down next to her, looking intently at the ground.

"Do you see something particularly interesting on the cobblestones,
Ulin Shemzarida Hashpida Harpell?" The woman's smile was beautiful and
warm.

"No, High Lady," she whispered.

"Then by all means, please stand. That looks terribly
uncomfortable."

Ulin scrambled to her feet and smoothed her skirts.

"Now then, you seem to have brought some very interesting guests to
Silverymoon." Alustriel stepped past the Genasi and walked straight up to
the tallest of the giants. She smiled openly, and held her hands out in a
gesture of peace.

"Greetings, good friend! I am Alustriel, High Lady of the Silver Marches.
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your companions to Silverymoon." This
brought a few quiet gasps from the wall, but no one made a move to contradict
their ruler's words.

Dolga seemed a bit uncomfortable with the greeting but nodded his head to her.
"Dolga."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, friend Dolga."
Although her voice was slightly raised, Alustriel was as gracious towards the
giant as she would be to any visiting dignitary. "Might I ask what
business brings you to our fair city?"

The giant pointed to the horseless carriage with one mammoth finger. "Jeruul
told me to protect the Silver Lady, so I'm protecting the Silver Lady."

"Jeruul?" Alustriel asked.

"Death." Storm supplied from her position near Ulin.

"Death told you to protect this group?"

The giant nodded. "Told me to get her where she was goin' safe and sound."
Dolga jerked his thumb to the city and shrugged. "Told me that if I did,
he'd let me live a long time."

"Well, that seems like a fair bargain indeed," Alustriel admitted.
"Do you intend to enter the city then?"

To the relief of everyone present, Dolga shook his head.

"Nope. Just get her here safe, and leave." He paused and narrowed
his eyes at Alustriel. "She is safe here, right?"

"I will protect your Silver Lady with my own life's blood, good Dolga.
You have my word."

"You ain't lyin' ta Dolga, is you?" The other giants started to shift
causing the defenders of the wall to shift as well.

"What oath shall I take to show my sincerity, friend Dolga?"

The giant scratched his bald head thoughtfully and shrugged. "Can't think
of none." He stood to his full height, and his companions followed suit
immediately. "You just keep her safe. If we hear she's hurt, we'll be back."

"I would expect no less, good friend Dolga."

Alustriel bowed to the giants and they promptly turned away. Their long stride
shook the ground a bit as they began making their way back to their homes in
the Everlund Pass. Once they were well on their way, Alustriel turned back to
the gathered crowd. More than a few were staring at her in awe and admiration.
The High Lady poked her head into the carriage on her way back and smiled at
the sleeping form of Dolga's Silver Lady. Her head was in the lap of the elder
Dunhill girl, just as Shandri's sister mirrored Usagi in the lap of Silea
Dunhill. She welcomed the two women to Silverymoon and stepped back before they
could answer. Once she was back near the gate, she called out to her
Gatemaster.

"Gatemaster Yuleth."

He saluted crisply. "Milady!"

"Please gather a team of horses and have this carriage, along with the
rest of Mistress Harpell's group, escorted to the Palace. Be gentle as you work,
there is precious cargo in that coach."

"Yes, milady. Will you require anything else?"

"For the time being, just an opportunity to express my gratitude for
your diligence, Gatemaster." She smiled and laid her hand on his shoulder.
Yuleth saluted again.

"No gratitude necessary, High Lady. My life is yours to command."

The soldier began barking commands to his subordinates the instant Alustriel
let him go, and in no time a team had been assembled and tethered to the
carriage. Ulin watched the orderly hustle and bustle get underway and came away
from the experience with a greater respect for Alustriel and her city. She was
so intent on the spectacle that she never noticed the High Lady arrive at her
side.

"Shall we go, Mistress Harpell?"

Ulin nearly jumped free of her skin at the sound of the woman's voice so
close to her ear. Her heart was still in her throat when she answered the
woman.

"Go, milady?"

"To the palace, of course." The ruler of the Silver Marches slipped
her arm through Ulin's, as did her sister Storm. Laeral and the other woman
joined Alustriel on the woman's other side and closed the circle in a chain
of linked arms. "We've much to prepare before your Lady arrives, I should
think."

"Prepare?" Ulin was feeling faint. Arm in arm with living legends
often did that to a person.

"Oh, dear yes," Laeral said. "There's the feast, and picking
out an appropriate dress, and choosing an appropriate escort."

"We mustn't forget that!" Storm grinned.

"I should think that the more pressing need is figuring out a way to break
the news to Serenity," the other woman said pointedly.

"News?" Ulin's mind was awhirl and she was starting to develop a
headache.

"Yes, darling." Storm patted Ulin's hand. She looked at the Genasi
thoughtfully and then cocked her head. "Tell me, Earth Sister. How do you
think we should tell Serenity that she is our sister? Would it be better to
just come out and say it, or do you think we should ease her into the idea?"

"Sister?" Ulin's eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out.
The last thing that she heard before succumbing to the darkness was a reproving
cluck from the unknown woman.

Lantan

The air was supercharged with anticipation as Keiichi and Duncan pulled up
to the proving grounds. He could already make out Father Ellosin standing with
and speaking to a number of older gnomes. Evandur Thistlebeck, the Seeker of
Oghma that had cared for him after his first shocking encounter with Sister
Maerdith, stood beside High Builder Maverly. His large "Santa" belly
was shaking like Jell-O at something the Gondar priest had said. It was a positive
sight in Keiichi's mind.

"Are we there yet, father?"

PHSSSSSH!

Keiichi glanced around nervously; trying to make sure that no one was near
enough to hear Kazuki-chan's "whisper" or see beneath the canvas tarp
as the METAT vented steam. Luckily, no one was within a hundred feet of them.
Considering the amount of whistles, clangs, and hoots, Keiichi doubted that
anyone would have looked their way twice. Still, he wanted to make a proper
entrance. Yet like any curious and impatient toddler, Kazuki was getting beyond
annoying with his repetitious questions.

"Yes, Kazuki-chan. We're finally here."

"Can I come out now?"

PHSSSSSH!

"Not yet, son. We have to wait for them to tell us they're ready for us."
He tried to make his voice patient, but it came out with a hint of exasperation.

"But, faaaatheeeer! It's so hot in here!"

PHSSSSSH!

The idea that a one-point-five-ton mechanical colossus could whine in a five-year-old
voice left Keiichi feeling both proud and distraught. Was this what it was going
to be like for him and Belldandy when they had kids? The brief image of his
radiant goddess holding a baby and smiling down at a little girl made Keiichi's
heart flutter. He could already see Kazuki-chan holding a little giggling boy
high in the air while he tinkered with some new vehicle for an exhibition race.

"It won't be much longer, Kazuki-chan, I promise." He waved to Ruthart
and pantomimed drinking a glass of water, then pointed to the wagon. The young
gnome nodded and came running. "Ruthart's going to give you some water
while I go and get things moving. Be good and stay in the wagon until I give
you the signal, okay?"

"Okay, father."

PHSSSSSH!

It didn't take long for Keiichi and Duncan to find High Builder Maverly and
Haroun Mostana. The former hadn't moved from his spot, while the latter was
chatting with a number of the officials near the judges' table. The sight of
the greasy little gnome carrying on with the clergymen left a bad taste in Keiichi's
mouth, but he did his best not to let it bother him. If the jerk wanted to curry
favor with the priests, let him. They weren't here to win favor with the Church
of Gond anymore.

They were here to show these bigots that the Wonderbringer wasn't the only
god of creation in town anymore. He doubted if anyone would recognize the runic
standard on Druen's shield but, in the event that they did, Duncan had already
made it perfectly clear how he was going to respond. He was proud of his new
affiliation, and, one way or another, these people would know that Duncan Steelwater
and his family belonged to Skuld now.

The opening ceremony was terribly longwinded, and Keiichi couldn't help but
look back to the wagon and wince as it rocked and creaked grumpily. Many took
this to mean that Keiichi and Duncan's creations were unstable and pointedly
gave the wagon a wider berth. A red-bearded gnome, wearing the navy blue sash
of a judge, finally stepped forward and belted the pontificating Master of Ceremonies
soundly.

"We all know what we're hear to see and why, you great wheezing
bellows!" He pointed to Duncan, Keiichi, and Haroun. "You're each
here to win the favor of Gond, so get on with it! My belly is sitting on empty
and I would like to see more of the Festival!"

The crowd roared with laughter and approval at the usurper's commentary.

"Steelwater. You and your friend asked to demonstrate your entries in
tandem, is that correct?"

Duncan and Keiichi nodded.

"Well, get on with it then! Gond is waiting to be impressed!"

And impress they did. Keiichi whistled shrilly three times, marking the
signal for Kazuki-chan and Druen to make their debut. Ruthart and Kerden leapt
from their cover and ran as fast as their little legs would carry them, causing
the crowd to gasp in anticipation and a little fear. It was fully expected that
the wagon was going to explode based on the speed that the wagon-handlers were
running. Once the pair of gnomes were sufficiently clear, the massive wagon
groaned and buckled as the canvas cover shot high into the sky and lost itself
in the sun. The crowd "ooh'ed" as the giant tarp topped fifty feet
and opened up blotting out the light of the Sun for an instant to reveal
Kazuki-chan in all his polished glory. Cradled in his arms was a smaller, but
no less impressive Druen.

The METAT and the Banpei Guardian fell like stones. But, rather than smashing
into the ground as everyone expected, powerful counter-thrusters fired at the
last minute allowing Kazuki-chan to touch down relatively softly. Keiichi turned
his attention from the amazed crowd, to the mixed expressions of the judges.
Most wore looks of awe and envy of the highly streamlined designs of the automatons.
Keiichi had to admit that the pair looked stunning. Their armor was polished
to a high sheen and the actual designs were so alien and futuristic in comparison
to the traditional Gondsman or Golem.

Keiichi had drawn heavily on a number of anime mecha from his youth and
recent memory for Kazuki-chan's look. Macross, Fight! Super Robot Life
(Transformers), and a host of others had influence in the design. But the
METAT's final look was a generous amalgamation of Unit 0 from Neon Genesis
Evangelion and the YF-21 AVF "Omega One" — with a more automotive
feel, rather than an aeronautical bent.

Druen, on the other hand, was just as impressive for the simple fact that he
looked so life-like. Were it not for the slight whirring that accompanied every
step, many bystanders would have simply thought the creation to be an oddly
armored dwarven warrior.

It was obvious that the crowds were not only suitably impressed with the
entries — based on the cheering, they were growing to like them more and more
with each step.

There were two individuals however that stood out among the crowds for their
decidedly different reactions: Haroun and the redheaded judge. The expression
on the latter was completely neutral, giving away nothing at all, beyond a slight
narrowing of the eyes, about what he may or may not be thinking, while the former
looked pale and completely unnerved by the showing. Keiichi grinned and stepped
forward as Kazuki-chan placed Druen on the ground. For once he was glad of all
the stupid club promotions he'd been saddled into. If nothing else, they had
given him the skills needed to work an eager crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlepersons. I would like to introduce you to
Kazukiichiro, the first Multi-environmental Transforming Automated
Transport." The crowd clapped enthusiastically.

"What can it do?" The red-bearded gnome demanded. Keiichi's grin
grew wider if at all possible.

"Kazuki-chan, what can you do?"

PHSSSSSH!

If the METAT could blush it would have. Venting steam wasn't a bad thing,
but the way the crowd laughed made the large sentient mecha shuffle nervously.
Haroun and his companions were rolling on the ground laughing, while other
hecklers were making crude jokes about farting golems.

"What else can you do, Kazuki-chan?" Keiichi called out
confidently, ignoring the jibes and cat-calls from the crowd.

"I can do… THIS!"

With another, much smaller, leap the METAT began to rapidly change shape. Gone
was the humanoid figure, and in its place was a large, tank-treaded vehicle.
Kazuki's engine revved powerfully as Keiichi ran across the field to jump into
the driver's seat. Duncan and Druen weren't far behind him, buckling themselves
into the passenger seats. Once everyone was seated, Keiichi took control and
began putting the METAT through its paces.

Looking back on the events, Keiichi and Duncan felt somewhat grateful for
Haroun Mostana's underhanded tactics. His traps, pitfalls, and the small hive
of attack drones were unexpected challenges that added a bit of spice to the
practiced routine. Kazuki-chan and Druen ate up the chance to show off for the
gathered crowd.

The quartet eagerly tore up the hill towards the first obstacle with the wind
whipping through their hair, organic and metallic alike. The wet sandtrap seemed
both innocuous and safe at first, but that all changed when a buried explosive
triggered prematurely at Kazuki's rumbling approach. The unexpected detonation
had Duncan cursing up a storm, but Keiichi didn't slow or pause in the least.
Kazuki-chan had been built to adapt and overcome any and all challenges, both
anticipated and unforeseen. A quick shift of gears had the tank treads retracting,
and the smaller track guides made room for four very large fans and a huge propeller
at Kazuki-chan's aft. Keiichi engaged the fans pointing them down towards the
ground to give them lift and then powered the propeller to push them forward.
As the METAT navigated the minefield, Druen took the opportunity to safely detonate
the mines. Keiichi wasn't sure how the Banpei Guardian was finding them, but
chalked it up to Skuld's intervention again. Regardless of the how and why,
Keiichi had to admit that the explosions made for a heartpounding show.

He'd have to thank Mostana after everything was said and done.

Once he was sure they were clear of the minefield, Keiichi engaged another
lever, prompting the fans and propellers to retract. Four spiked wheels replaced
the fans and soon, they were tearing through the turf beyond the sand trap without
breaking stride. In the background Keiichi could hear Sam giving a blow-by-blow
description of the multi-purpose uses that the METAT had. Not only was it a
method of travel, it was an agricultural tool as well.

The maneuverability course loomed before them as the topped another artificial
hill. This test required Kazuki-chan to slalom through a small forest of tall
iron posts in a rapid speed display of agility. Keiichi grinned and gunned Kazuki-chan's
engine, well aware that Duncan hated this part the most. In answer to his father's
desires, the METAT gracefully swished and swerved at breakneck speeds, like
a professional skier, through the first of the metallic columns to the cheers
of the crowd. It wasn't until they had made it a third of the way through that
Druen got another opportunity to show off.

Another explosion rocked the field ahead of them, and with a great creak and
a groan, the heavy iron posts began falling in on themselves. The domino effect
was expertly planned to block Kazuki-chan's progress, and had they been driving
the Iron Horse there was little doubt that the demonstration would over. Duncan
simply smiled and motioned for Druen to get to work. The mechanical dwarf
jumped from his seat and calmly walked over to the toppled posts and, with a
display of strength that awed the spectators, Druen pulled the half-ton pillars
out of Kazuki-chan's way. The evidence of the crowd's murmuring and pointing
made it clear that none of their Gondsmen could have performed the task alone.
In fact it had taken six of the stout mechanical Gondsmen to carry and place
just one of the posts.

It was here that Keiichi deviated from their original routine a bit. Once
the way was clear, the Banpei Guardian motioned for the METAT to pull forward a
little ways through the debris and stop. Keiichi and Duncan then hopped from the
METAT and helped Druen attach a thick towing cable to a number of the posts,
making a small train from three of the columns.

In no time at all Kazuki-chan began dragging the posts; slowly at first, but
quickly began picking up speed again. He didn't match his previous speeds, but
Keiichi was proud that his creation wasn't exactly plodding along either.
Duncan took the opportunity to wave at Haroun smugly as they passed the judges'
bleachers on the way to the water crossing. Keiichi could almost feel the hatred
poisoning the air as they approached the stone ramp leading into the small
artificial pond. As soon as they rolled onto the ramp, the ground beneath them
suddenly stopped being stone altogether, and the quartet found themselves mired
deeply in a smelly, sticky, sludge. Without hesitating, Keiichi engaged another
transformation, retracting the wheels and allowing Kazuki-chan's arms and legs
to extend. With a winning grin, he looked at Duncan as the METAT lifted itself
out of the mud and spider-walk to the water's edge. The crowds roared at the
triumph.

Before they settled into the water, Keiichi deployed a balloon of puncture
resistant fabric. The balloon filled rapidly, forming a floatation ring around
Kazuki-chan's frame. The crowd bellowed with pleasure as the METAT sped around
the small pond like an oversized, hyperactive metallic duck.

They were in the home stretch now, and from the sounds of things they made a
good showing of themselves. Duncan slapped Keiichi on the shoulder as they drew
close to the opposing ramp. Yet, it wasn't until leaving the pond that their
progress took a turn for the worst.

Kazuki-chan and Druen, being made of a number of different metals as they
were, made excellent conductors. It was one of the only design flaws that Keiichi
hadn't thought to work around. After all, how often would Kazuki-chan be out in
a thunderstorm? The weakness was a matter of inexperience rather than true
oversight, and Keiichi soon found himself regretting that lapse.

Kazuki rolled onto the ramp and was just clear of the water when Haroun's
final treachery struck. The lightning trap was particularly cunning, and it was
blindly tripped by Kazuki-chan's tank treads as he rolled out of the pond. The
flash and boom was deafening, but it still wasn't as loud as Kazuki-chan's
scream. Duncan and Keiichi joined him briefly as the electricity traveled up
through the METAT's chassis.

Druen, while a good conductor, had been designed to circumvent Kazuki-chan's
weakness. The important parts that allowed him both mobility and active thought
were well insulated and that, more than anything else, saved the lives of his
friends and creator. The Banpei Guardian worked quickly and shot a long metal
cable from his forearm and into the earth beneath him and grounded himself,
before he leapt from the back seat and clamped one metallic hand onto the under
carriage of Kazuki-chan's frame, completing the circuit.

He drew the electricity to him and channeled it into the soil where it wouldn't
harm anyone. Once the danger had passed, he gently pulled Duncan and Keiichi's
stunned bodies from Kazuki-chan and laid them out on the grass. Once free, the
METAT transformed into a "battloid" configuration and hovered protectively
over his father and "Uncle Duncan" while he and Druen waited for help
to arrive. Well-meaning people rushed from the stands to check on the pair,
but were brought up short by a very upset pair of mechanical defenders.

Druen had pulled a large shield from his back and produced his mammoth war
hammer. The Banpei Guardian planted himself before the bodies, while the
METAT's hands folded back into his forearms and were replaced by a screaming
buzz saw and a wickedly spinning drill. Small amounts of electricity still
coursed up and down their bodies as they set themselves to meet the charge of
the crowd. A sense of protective anger hung in the air between the pair and the
mob of concerned bystanders pulled to a stop well outside of their reach.

Sam, Ruthart, and the rest of Keiichi's and Duncan's supporters shoved and elbowed
their way through the crowd until they were at the front. Sam wasted no time in
running to her husband's side, but the others waited until Druen waved them
forward. The injuries were serious, but after a few judicious healing spells
from Sister Maerdith and Father Ellosin, Duncan and Keiichi were back on their
feet.

Haroun Mostana was sick with envy as the demonstration played out before
him. He had never had the dedication to make himself a Gondsman. And yet, in an
obvious display of divine favor, Duncan Steelwater had somehow managed to
create one in the limited amount of time he had after the fire destroyed his
shop. As each trap was not only circumvented, but also soundly defeated with
style and aplomb, Haroun began to realize that he'd been outclassed.

His fears of failure only grew as Morisato's talking abomination turned
itself into a boat.

The Solar Cannon was a formidable weapon, but this… this thing…
was something else entirely. Jealousy burned the remnants of his shattered pride
as the gnome watched Morisato's invention make landfall. That resentment became
sadistic glee as his trump card was played and seemed to be successful. He hoped
one of them died, fried to a crisp by the electricity.

Mostana's satisfaction and hopes died as Steelwater's Gondsman defeated the
lightning trap. Terror gripped Haroun's heart as his enemies were healed. What
was he going to do? They would investigate the traps! There would be an inquisition!
Gond's Anvil… there were spells that would be cast… spells that
would inevitably lead the investigators back to him! He needed to do something!

Need is the mother of invention, and as the desperate gnome cast about for
a way to save himself, his eyes fell on the Solar Cannon. A "misfire"
would obliterate the evidence and Mostana's enemies in one fell swoop! It wasn't
a perfect plan, but it was all that the panicking priest could think of. There
would obviously be consequences that followed, but he was certain that he could
spin them with a few promises and padded pockets. Haroun would have to act quickly
to silence his sabotage crew, though. If they couldn't prove anything, he couldn't
be punished — and with no evidence or voices to speak against him, he
would survive and reclaim any confidences he lost here today.

His stubby legs pumped hard towards the Solar Cannon, and with all eyes on
the spectacle of Morisato and Steelwater, it was child's play to sabotage his
own creation. A little misdirection would sow the seeds of doubt and confusion.
After all, if he were being "framed" for a crime he hadn't committed….

Haroun smiled devilishly and looked to make sure no one had seen his
actions, before he smashed his head on firing mechanism to bloody his head.
Unfortunately, he knocked himself senseless in the process and never got to see
the outcome of his plan.

The crowd wasn't sure what happened. The overall actions played out so
quickly that few had a clear picture of the sequence of events. One moment
Duncan was arguing with one of the judges, and the next he was yelling at Druen
and Kazuki to shield the crowd while pointing to Mostana's massive Solar
Cannon. Kazuki grabbed Druen and jumped, easily clearing the crowd and placing
the pair in the firing path of the cannon as it began to glow and hum. The mob,
upon seeing the danger they were in, did what mobs did best — it degenerated
into a mindless mass of stampeding stupidity and blind panic.

Amidst the chaos, Keiichi could see Kazuki-chan lift Druen into the air. The
Banpei Guardian brandished his tower shield in what many thought was a pathetic
attempt to stave off the inevitable. That was all the thought that Keiichi had
time for as he threw himself bodily across Sam and Maerdith, knocking them to
the ground. There was a flash of light and a wave of force battered the crowd,
but the expected heat never came.

Keiichi chanced a look at his mechanical son and the brave little Banpei
Guardian. He could only smile as the ridiculously large shield with Skuld's
rune on it, smoked and glowed. The ground before the pair was nothing more than
scorched, boiling earth. Above and behind the motorized pair, Keiichi saw the
majestically shimmering form of Noble Scarlet, Skuld's angel, pointing
something towards the cannon. The weapon began to glow ominously again. Keiichi
wasn't about to see if his mechanized son could survive another blast.

"KAZUKI-CHAN! TAKE OUT THAT CANNON!"

The METAT dropped Druen to the ground and shot forward at an incredible speed.
With a mighty punch, the cannon's aim was redirected skyward and another blinding
light lanced from the focusing crystal. Druen soon joined Kazuki-chan, and the
pair didn't give the cannon another opportunity to fire. They systematically
began tearing the cannon apart piece by piece, beginning with the focusing crystal.
By the time they were finished, Mostana's creation was little more than a scrap
heap. And to later rub copious amounts of salt in the Artificer's wounded pride,
Druen saved him from being crushed as a giant piece of the cannon fell on the
spot he'd been lying.

It was in the aftermath and confusion of the Solar Cannon's demise that the
red-bearded judge strode forward and angrily stabbed a finger at Noble Scarlet.

"YOU THERE!" The cute angle pointed to herself and raised an eyebrow.
"YES, YOU! TELL YOUR MISTRESS THAT SHE'S BEEN SUMMONED TO AUDIENCE WITH
GOND!"

When Nobel didn't move, the bearded gnome stamped his foot, causing the
ground to shake and tremble.

"NOW! YOU BRAINLESS PIECE OF FLUFF! BRING ME THE NORNS NOW!"

"And why would Gond summon a Norn, let alone all three, to audience?"

Keiichi wanted to grin in spite of the frigid tone of Urd's sultry voice. He
turned his eyes to the source of the voice and saw a wonderful sight. A familiar
crone stood next to the focus of Keiichi's dreams, and beside Belldandy's peerless
beauty was Skuld. All three were dressed for battle. Noble Scarlet peeked out
from behind Skuld's armored shoulder, while Holy Bell and World of Elegance
flanked their goddesses. Keiichi ran to Belldandy and kissed her passionately,
trying to ignore the feeling of cold chain mail beneath his fingers and the
spear shaft that pressed against his back. Kazuki-chan rumbled over and stood
behind his father, as Keiichi joined the Norns in facing off against the red-bearded
gnome.

"You've over stepped your privileges!" The "gnome"
stabbed a finger at Skuld.

"And how do you figure that?" Skuld demanded. "Your twisted
little pawn was going to kill not only your people, but my servants as well! If
you thought I was going to just sit back and let them die, then you're stupider
than you look."

"Skuld." Belldandy's reproach was a token effort at best, but
Skuld refused to amend her words.

The red-bearded gnome's body began to shift and change, becoming more human
with each passing moment. The small hammer at his waist grew with him, becoming
a warhammer that just about equaled the menacing weapon that Skuld held in her
hand. It was evident to all just who this being was, and almost everyone in
attendance of the strange meeting fell to their knees in supplication or veneration
to the God of Smiths. The only person that refused to kneel was Keiichi, which
made Gond's teeth grind in anger.

"What servants?" Gond growled.

"That would be us, Wonderbringer."

Keiichi was surprised that Duncan had gathered the courage to speak, let
alone stand. The fact that Kerden, Sam, and Druen stood at his back was even
more surprising. Gond seemed both surprised and shaken by the admission.

"I KNEW IT!" One of Haroun Mostana's supporters cried out
triumphantly as his friends did their best to revive their leader. The
self-righteous gnome stabbed his finger at Duncan accusingly as Mostana was
groggily pulled to his feet. "STEELWATER IS A HERETIC!"

The fool found himself silenced and bound by an absent-minded gesture from
the Lord of Smiths. The redheaded god watched Duncan and his companions join
Keiichi and to his surprise, Skuld embraced each with open love and affection
— even Druen. The goddess of the future held Samril Steelwater protectively
and glared at the Wonderbringer. Duncan looked at the Smith Lord, not bothering
to hide his feelings of betrayal.

"Why?" It was a simple question, but one that Gond was sure he
didn't want to answer. "Why did ye forsake me and me kin, after all I've
sacrificed in yer name?"

"He was afraid. He was afraid of the ideas that Keiichi might give
you."

Urd's form shifted from the bent crone she had been, into a more mature
version of her usual guise. The slinky, platinum, chainmail bra and black
leather skirt did nothing but accentuate everything the goddess of the past had
to offer. The glare Gond threw her way made Keiichi shiver.

"Gond fears nothing!" The Lord of Smiths boasted. "It was a
test of faith — one that you failed, Duncan Steelwater!"

"That is so lame!" Urd pointed a wicked looking handaxe in Gond's
direction while clenching a deadly-looking dagger in her other hand. "How
can you live with yourself while hiding behind such a pathetically weak excuse?
Don't pretend to blame this on your petitioner, Gond! I am the Empress of Days
Long Past, The Lady of Memory! I can see through all of your lies!"

The crowd began to murmur behind Gond. Some of the more fervent of his
faithful vocally jumped to his defense, while others seemed uncertain. The
memories of the Time of Troubles were hard to forget and tales of godly hubris
were still passed down. However, it had always been someone else's god whose
ego damned them.

"It was you that failed Duncan Steelwater, not the other way around."
Belldandy's voice, though quiet, cut through the murmuring with no trouble at
all. "You saw the duplicitous heart of Haroun Mostana, yet you stood by
while he ran rampant amongst your flock. This one servant has poisoned the faith
of so many within your assembly, all in the name of wealth and influence. Was
he the test of faith you speak of, Gond? If so, then there have been many here
that have suffered for their faith. Where was your blessing for them? What support
from you did they receive?"

The crowd began to murmur again.

"Am I not here now?" The god of smiths waved his hands and those
who had been duped by Mostana in the past were suddenly dressed in flowing silk
robes and adorned with all manner of wealth. "Do I not bless them for
their suffering and their loyalty?"

"Even now, you use poor Duncan for your own purposes." Belldandy
shook her head sadly. "He suffered most of all for a test that was not
even meant for him, and yet that suffering remains unanswered."

Gond scowled at the accusation and the sudden rise in doubt he was feeling
build in his followers. The trouble was, the Norns were right. Mostana was the
test he had placed within his flock — the serpent amongst the fruit so to
speak. The truth of the matter was, Mostana wasn't Steelwater's test of faith,
but one for Danactar the High Artificer. Danactar was meant to see the
injustice of Mostana's abuse of Steelwater and act or the good of the church by
instituting a new code of conduct for the clergy.

The question was, did he accept this chastisement from the Norns or give his
worshippers a show of strength to rebuild their wavering confidence? One look
at the trio firmly disabused him of the idea to resolve this with force. The
Norns were the Keepers of Life and Fate for man and god alike. To confront them
in combat was not a smart thing to do. Luckily, the choice was taken from him.

"You should be grateful that they stepped in to protect Keiichi Morisato
when you didn't, Gond." The voice was earthy and when Gond spun to confront
the newcomer, a very familiar badge of authority greeted him. It was hard to
miss it since it was forcefully being pressed against his nose. "As it
is, you've allowed things to become a right mess."

"Ki-chan!" Belldandy handed Keiichi her spear and embraced the
Celestial Auditor in a warm hug.

"What are you doing here, Kihon'i?" Urd cocked her hips. "I
thought you were going to be tied up with Bhalomor for another three or four
centuries."

"Divine Intervention." The Celestial Auditor grinned. "Lord
Ao bought my contract and hired me on as a consultant, but got upgraded to
Personal Assistant for Lord Ao. As a neutral party with no real interests here
in the Realms, I'm the ideal Voice."

"Reconstruction?" Urd raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that." The goddess stole a glance at Keiichi and
grinned impishly.

"So, what's going on?" Skuld asked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to remind Gond about a few of Ao's more recent decrees and
the consequences of not taking them seriously."

Gond paled. It was a strange sight for the petitioners gathered to see their
god looking nervous.

"You remember the Decree, don't you?" The goddess' voice changed,
becoming deeper and more masculine. The weight of authority in her words brought
mortal and god alike to their knees. "‘DEATH SHALL NOT COME TO THEM THROUGH
ANY INFLUENCE, DIRECTLY DIVINE OR OTHERWISE. THEIR STAY WILL BE SHORT, THEREFORE
ANY PERMANENT BINDINGS MUST TRAVEL WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE. AND THE THREE
ARE AGENTS UNTO THEMSELVES AND SHOULD BE AFFORDED THE APPROPRIATE RESPECT.'"

Gond was openly trembling now, and stealing glances at Keiichi.

"You do realize, of course, that…" The Voice of Ao smirked.
"…had Skuld not intervened, you would be in serious trouble right
now. Shar and Kelemvor have already been reprimanded for ignoring the Decree."

"What happened?" Gond's voice squeaked.

"Shar lost the Shadow Weave and Kelemvor got his butt handed to him by
Mystra's Eighth." Kihon'i smiled. "You're really lucky, you know.
Not only were you saved by Skuld-chan's timely intervention, Lord Ao is letting
you off with a warning."

Gond, unmindful of the image he was giving his faithful, seemed to deflate
with relief. Kihon'i smiled and turned her attention back to the Norns.

"Now then, since you three have started collecting a following, you've
got an appointment at Cynosure."

"Not to worry, sweet Urd. Things are still a little more… Medieval
here."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? There's no indoor plumbing
and no television! You know what that means? I can't watch my soaps!" Urd
groused. "And that's not the worst of it! Do you realize how long it's
been since I've had to play the Crone? I hate playing the Crone!"

"If the shoe fits…." Skuld grinned impishly.

"Shut up, spore!" Urd began charging a spell and Skuld pulled a nasty
looking gadget from out of thin air that pulsed ominously.

Keiichi winced and began looking for a place to hide. Whenever the pair
fought, Keiichi was inevitably the one at ground zero. To his relief, Belldandy
stepped in and literally diffused the pending fight with nothing more than a
frown.

"We are not at home, sisters," she chided, gesturing at the mixed
crowd gathered around them. "Behave yourselves."

Urd and Skuld nodded sheepishly and stepped into the background as Belldandy
turned her attention back to Kihon'i.

"I apologize for my sisters, Voice of Ao." Her demeanor was formal
and filled with the proper respect. "We, the Sisters Fate, will abide by
all the Laws and Decrees set down by Lord Ao."

"Apology accepted, Verthandi Life Weaver. Your vow will be recognized
and honored in good time. For now, let me be the first to welcome the Queen of
Present Needs to Toril." Kihon'i bowed deeply. Belldandy returned the
gesture with equal respect.

"On behalf of the Norns, I thank you."

Keiichi was ecstatic at the invitation being extended. If he understood
everything correctly, Belldandy was able to be here now! She wouldn't be so far
away! He looked between Duncan and the new goddess, and couldn't keep the grin
off of his face.

"Don't get any ideas, Mr. Morisato." The Celestial Auditor's serious
countenance destroyed his good mood. "Just because your soul mate has permission
to be here doesn't mean that she will be at your beck and call. She and her
sisters will have work of their own to do. In order for her to stay here, she
and her sisters are going to have to cultivate their own following. If anything,
your trials just got even harder."

Keiichi looked at Belldandy with longing and saw it mirrored there in her
eyes.

"Now then, Gond. If I'm not mistaken, you have a contest to
judge."

The Celestial Auditor stepped back and pulled Urd aside and began some long
overdue gossiping. The Norn of the Past squealed happily and started clapping
at something that the Voice of Ao had said, but quieted immediately as
Belldandy looked her way. Keiichi shook his head and watched Skuld step behind
Duncan, Sam, and Kerden. He wasn't left alone either. Belldandy drifted over to
her love and threaded her fingers with his, as Gond strode over to them.

"Duncan Steelwater. Haroun Mostana. Keiichi Morisato. Stand forth to be
judged." Gond's voice echoed and a bit of his Divine Mantle pushed to the
fore, causing the trio to fall to their knees.

Up until this moment the whole exchange had seemed fairly… Well, Keiichi
supposed "mortal" was the only word for it. Later, upon pondering
the events of this day, Keiichi would wonder why the deities decided not to
be more "godly" in front of the gathered crowds. Those questions were
for later though; presently, all that he understood was that something had changed
in Gond's approach. He seemed infinitely bigger than he had a moment before.
It was exactly like the time, not so long ago, that Skuld had put on her "professional"
hat.

"Your wonders were impressive." Keiichi chanced a glance back to
Kazuki-chan, and grinned at the sight of Belldandy holding one of his
mechanical son's large metallic fingers. "Each, in its own right, set a
standard to be aspired to."

Gond looked at Keiichi pointedly, and the young man shivered as he felt his
soul being examined. He felt small and uncertain as a tiny portion of the god's
power came into play — not as tiny as the Norns made him feel, but it was close
enough. Had he been able to look, he would have seen his companions
experiencing the same. Gond retracted his presence and gave them time to
compose themselves before continuing. Duncan and Haroun had tears running down
their faces, but their expressions were nothing alike. Duncan seemed extremely
confused and uncertain, while Mostana's face was filled with abject terror.

"Standard or no, I see that I have been remiss in teaching my children.
Herein is a new lesson for my faithful: Creation alone is not grounds for
greatness. Intent and application must be taken into consideration as well.
Thus, today I judge in accordance to the rationale behind each of these
creations, and let those judged be held accountable for their intent."

Gond looked out on the gathered congregation and let a little more of his
divinity spill forth. At the end of his display, there was no doubt that this
was the Wonderbringer standing in judgment.

"Keiichi Morisato, your wonder is, by far, beyond anything Toril has
ever seen. The making of golems, and the animation of such, have been known for
thousands of years. Golem Masters have created majestic fabrications. They have
bound souls to their creations and even given them the semblance of life. Yet
never, in the history of Toril, has there been a golem such as Kazukiichiro. He
is truly your son — a product of blood, brought forth through your love and
your spirit. He is unique, in that he has the agency to live as he desires. He
was not meant to be commanded, but to have the freedom to explore all that life
has to offer."

Keiichi looked back at Kazuki-chan and smiled proudly. Belldandy beamed up
at the METAT and patted his massive metal hand affectionately.

"Your creation was not brought into this world for petty reasons. You
were driven, not only by the love and gratitude you had for your friend, but
also for the benefit of the world around you. Kazukiichiro was to be your
companion and champion in this world, and his design reflects that. His
usefulness is not tied to any one task. You gave him the abilities to become
what he needs and desires to be. For that, I name you the winner of this
challenge."

Most of the crowd roared with pleasure, the Norns and his friends chief
among them. Gond smiled indulgently and held up his hand for silence. The crowd
obliged and the god looked at the Celestial Auditor nervously.

"The charge of being a heretical scourge to the people of Gond is
rescinded. For your achievements, you have not only my respect, but also my
admiration. You have taught us all a valuable lesson in loyalty and
responsibility. As such, I name you a friend of the church and bless you to
find sanctuary and aid in all of my houses should you need it." He reached
into his robes and pulled out a modest sized, golden medallion and pressed it
into Keiichi's hands. "Show this to any of my clergy, and your needs shall
be met. All that I ask is that you share some of your wisdom and knowledge
wherever you stay, so that all may benefit."

Keiichi was totally blown out of the water by the blessing, and could only
nod in shock. The god moved on to the next in line without any hesitation.

"Duncan Steelwater. For the charge of heresy, I judge
you… guilty." The crowd began to murmur, some in anger and others in
satisfaction. Haroun Mostana looked positively ecstatic. "You have
forsaken your vows to me and willingly turned from the guidance of the church.
You have taken up another faith and, as such, I excommunicate you until you
repent your decision and renew your vows. It is my hope that you will find it
within your heart to return to us. Should you do so, your dedication and
sacrifice will be rewarded."

Duncan looked up at his former god, and the expression of betrayal was plain.
"No."

"No?" the Lord of Smiths echoed. "Are you certain?"

"No, Great Wonderbringer. I know what I'm about." Duncan looked
back at Skuld and Sam. Both smiled at the dwarf encouragingly. "I gave ye
me love and faith, and was repaid with treachery. My place and heart belong to
the Goddess of Moments to Come. She heard me when ye would not. She succored me
and mine, when ye failed us. I will not repay her kindness with treason."

Duncan stood and walked to Skuld and Sam, and was immediately smothered in
welcoming hugs. Gond looked torn between anger and despair. Keiichi knew he was
wrong, and knew that the god understood his failure as well. Gond had failed
the dwarf, but it was obvious from the deity's expression that a god did not
apologize. Apparently, it just wasn't done. The very idea that a god owed a
petitioner an act of contrition was repugnant, regardless of circumstance.
Keiichi shook his head as he watched the Smith Lord pondering. It was evident
that the Wonderbringer wasn't sure how he should proceed. He was in an obvious
pickle; the disrespect shown to him couldn't be ignored — no matter how
justified it might have seemed. Keiichi could see that Gond was going to make
an example of Duncan, before the dwarf's ideas poisoned his community any
further. The sad thing was, Gond was going to spread Duncan's poison further
and faster than the dwarf ever could.

"You deny my mercy, Duncan Steelwater. You deny my faith. Such cannot
and will not be tolerated in Lantan." The god looked to his High Artificer
and motioned the elderly gnome forward. Danactar stumbled from his place in his
haste to obey and knelt before his god. "Let the heretic's name be
stricken from the roles of the church forever. Though he is not an enemy,
neither is he our ally. Let him, and any who would follow his example, rely on
this new goddess for their sustenance."

Keiichi, along with a number of others gasped. Gond might as well have banished
Duncan, Kerden, and in no small way, Bertrold and Ruthart, from the sanctuary
of Lantan. There was no way that they would ever be able to eke out a living
on the island now. The community wouldn't support them. Many of the citizens
and faithful of Highden stared at the god in disbelief, a great deal of their
expressions mirrored Duncan's earlier sense of betrayal. These people were friends
and family, but now they were pariah — spiritual lepers that would be
forever shunned.

"I can't believe you!" Skuld's voice rose above the troubled
murmuring. "You sorry sack of…!" Skuld continued venting her
thoughts on what she thought Gond was and what he could do with himself,
heedless of the fact that Urd had covered her mouth.

Her hammer was out and cocked, ready to swing at the Smith God's thick
skull. Had it not been for Belldandy and Kazuki-chan, a holy war might have
broken out then and there. Keiichi thought it still might, considering the long
string of explicatives that were escaping Urd's hand. He was both shocked and
surprised that Skuld knew of and could invent some of the muffled phrases that
were slipping through Urd's fingers. Belldandy was blushing furiously and
Urd… Urd wasn't sure whether to be proud of her baby sister, or to take notes.

When all was said and done Belldandy silenced Skuld with a very serious
frown, and once the goddess of the future had gained enough control she was
released. Although, Kazuki-chan did hover close by just in case.

"I must apologize for my sister, Lord Gond. Her heart is large and her
mercy is larger still."

Keiichi rubbed a phantom knot on his head and wondered, if that was the effects
of her 'mercy', what Skuld's 'justice' felt like. He was glad he didn't know.

"Your Justice is yours to extend as you see fit," Belldandy continued.
She veritably floated over to the gathering of confused and upset Gondar. She
knelt before a small halfling girl and caressed her cheek lovingly. "Yet
justice upheld without mercy is tyranny, Lord Gond. Surely you can see this?"

"All I see, Lady of Moments, is that you and your sisters are sticking
your noses where they do not belong." Gond growled. "I will not be told
how to reward and punish those that have declared themselves to my service.
They are mine, and will serve me as I see fit. I will reward them, according to
their service, as I see fit."

Belldandy shook her head sadly. "They are not yours, Lord Gond."
She stood from the halfling girl and cupped the cheek of an old man standing
nearby. "They are their own."

A tension in the man's face seemed to ease and his stooped body stood
straighter and stronger than it had a moment before. She kissed his brow and smoothed
what little hair he had left affectionately.

"Their agency is immutable, and it is that precious gift that they give
to ones such as we. It must be honored, nurtured, and loved. We, as their gods
and goddesses, have a greater responsibility to them for this gift. When they
are downtrodden, we must champion them. When they are attacked, we must defend
them. And when they falter, it is our duty to forgive and teach them where they
erred, so that they might grow and progress. To do anything less is an injustice
that cannot, and should not, be forgiven."

"You will not speak to the Wonderbringer so callously!" Haroun
Mostana leapt to his feet, nearly frothing at the mouth. Keiichi could see the
madness take root behind the gnome's eyes, and moved to block his progress. The
need to protect Belldandy, even after he remembered that she really didn't need
it, was overwhelming.

"Is it callous to speak the truth, Haroun Mostana?" Belldandy cocked
her head to the side innocently. She looked to Gond pointedly. "Your servant
tries to redeem himself in your eyes, Lord Gond. And as he does, proves my point
better than mere words can convey."

She looked out over the gathered congregation and smiled. It was like the
dawn after a long and dreary night. Gond's face could have cooked an egg for
all of the hot anger the god was feeling.

"Divinity and mortality are tied to each other. One cannot survive
without the other."

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!"

Gond's avatar grew to tower menacingly over Belldandy. Keiichi gathered his
courage and stood his ground as her defender before the angered god. Kazuki-chan
followed his father's lead and took on an aggressively defensive position to
Keiichi's right. The young man looked between his mechanical offspring and the
god, and knew that the Lord of Smiths could squash them both like bugs. In spite
of that knowledge, Keiichi stood his ground defiantly. There was no way in hell
that Keiichi was going to let his love stand alone before the angry deity. He
felt Skuld position herself on the other side of Kazukiichiro and could almost
sense the cocky defiance that laced her words.

"Why should she?" Skuld sneered sweetly. "Are you afraid that
your followers are going to finally see through you, maybe start thinking for
themselves and realize that you're really a pompous and selfish ass that could
care less about their needs and desires?"

"You will be silent, Norn, or I will silence you!" Gond's avatar
summoned a set of banded armor around himself and brandished his hammer
threateningly.

"The cat's already out of the bag, Gond. You might as well accept
it." Urd examined her nails disinterestedly, ignoring the blustering god.
"Swallow your pride and move on. The only omnipotent and omniscient being
in this branch of Existence is Lord Ao. Mistakes, while not common among the
gods…"

Keiichi snorted, earning himself a glare from the Norn of the Past.

"…As I was saying… while not common, they still happen. Accept
the fact that you wronged Duncan Steelwater and make amends, before it's too
late."

"I will not! Steelwater pledged himself to me! He is mine to do with as
I please! They are all mine, to live and die at my whim! I am their god, and
they are my hands in this world, creating for my pleasure!"

The words, spoken in anger, sent a chill through the gathered crowd. There
was no love or appreciation in Gond's tone, only petulant anger. Gond, sensing
the sudden shift in the demeanor of his faithful, turned to face them. His
fiery anger sent a wave of terror through the Gondar.

"You are mine! Do you hear me? MINE!" His voice thundered, causing
the ground to tremble and rock. Many within the gathering immediately fell to
their knees and began begging their god's forgiveness for their doubts. It was
a sickening display for Keiichi, one that made him turn his head in time to see
Kihon'i walking forward. Gond's declarations fell silent at her approach, and
everyone gathered was quite shocked when she hauled back and slapped him.

"Did the Time of Troubles mean nothing to you?" Her voice was
quiet, yet still held more power and authority than Gond's screaming. Urd
closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

"He sealed himself away here on Lantan and spent his days building
stuff, while everyone pampered him. I'd be surprised if the jerk learned
anything at all."

The Celestial Auditor shook her head in disgust. "This is your last and
only warning, Wonderbringer. If you don't reevaluate your relationship with
your supplicants, I'll haul you before Lord Ao myself. He's already stripped
one pompous, self-serving idiot of a portion of her influence. I've no doubt
that I can present him with another worthy of such attention."

Kihon'i turned her attention to the Gondar and spread her arms wide. "You
have been wronged this day, your faith demeaned and your trust abused. In the
name of Lord Ao, God of Gods, I hereby release you from your service to Gond
the Wonderbringer. I dissolve all pacts and all bonds to this being. You are
free to serve whom you will, how you will."

She pointed to the Norns and, surprisingly enough, to Keiichi. The young man
shifted nervously and tried not to look uncomfortable.

"See these worthies, and know that they will honor your love and
dedication. If you would have them, they will not lead you astray."

The Norns bowed deeply to the congregation and Keiichi reluctantly followed
suit. In a display that rocked the community, one non-gnome petitioner after
another took their holy symbols and tossed it in the dirt at Gond's feet. Some
of the gnomes, even those ranked highly among the faithful, followed the
example of these first few. Sides quickly polarized, and Keiichi was surprised
when Ruthart came to stand before him.

"I'm not a god, Ruthart." He said honestly. Ruthart smiled
benignly and knelt before the young man.

"Maybe not yet, Lord Keiichi. But someday, when your quest is done, you
will be. Of that, I have no doubt." A handful of others, seeing Ruthart's
example drifted cautiously towards the pair.

"Why do you kneel before this man?" An elderly gnome asked. Ruthart
looked up at the old gnome and smiled even more.

"This is no mere man. He is a man who will become a god. I have seen his
miracles and know his heart is pure." Ruthart looked back at Keiichi with
open adoration. "I have learned more and done more in his service than
I ever did under Gond. He named me friend and I have seen his dedication to
those he calls friend. Thus, I freely pledge myself to him, with only the hope
that he will let me stay near him to share his journey and to learn at his feet."

Keiichi blushed and hurriedly lifted the young gnome to his feet. "I am
no god. I'm trying to make myself worthy of her love." Keiichi protested,
motioning to Belldandy. The beautiful goddess was at the center of a huge crowd
of mixed races. "If that means I have to become a god someday, then that
is what I will do. But I expect that day to be a long way off yet."

"If we follow you, will you protect us?" A young human woman
asked.

"Well… of course! I mean I'd rather you not follow me at all, but if
you do I'll do my best to take care of you." Keiichi scratched the back of
his neck.

"Will you teach us how you built your golem?" Another gnome asked
eagerly.

"I can show you how I did it, but Kazukiichiro is special. I doubt that
I could re-create him, let alone teach you how to do it yourself." The
gnome's eager expression faltered and Ruthart quickly stepped in to appease the
handful that had gathered nearby.

"Kazukiichiro is unique. But that is not all Lord Keiichi can teach us!
I have seen him streamline a forge and create materials that open a whole new
world of opportunities! You've seen his inventions! Think of the impact we can
have on the world around us! His technology is a magic all of its own, and his
name will be synonymous with progress and innovation in a way that Gond's never
was!"

"How can you be so sure?" The old gnome demanded.

"It's already happening!" Ruthart countered. "What news have
we heard from the markets in Waterdeep and Amn? His name is lauded for his
creations. His inventions do more than kill! They offer comfort and they build
up rather then destroy. How many of Gond's creations can say the same?"

"It seems that his golem did a fair amount of destruction today."
The old gnome pointed to the cannon with a frown.

"To save lives! What other purpose did Mostana's 'Solar Cannon' serve,
beyond a weapon of death? Kazukiichiro destroyed the cannon in order to preserve
our lives — yours included, Master Dunwater. Can you deny that?"

The older gnome shook his head.

"Lord Keiichi helped Master Steelwater when the rest of the community
mocked him. He not only made the Iron Horse work, he made it work better! He
has named me friend, and I honor that by pledging myself to him. He might be a
man today, but I look to the future when he will shed his mortality and become
something more. If I follow him and help him in his quest, what will I become
by virtue of being at his side and sharing his burdens?"

"Are you saying you want to become a god, Ruthart Gambool?" The
old gnome accused.

"Of course not!" the young gnome protested. "I'm saying I want
to be a better person! I want to be someone that helps make this world a better
place! I thought that the path to that goal was through Gond, but it wasn't.
Gond doesn't care about our dreams, or us for that matter. We've seen that already.
I've seen the type of person that Lord Keiichi is, and I want to be like him.
Which would you prefer? A god who uses you to further his own ends, or a friend
that will walk with you and help you realize your dreams?"

The small crowd looked at Keiichi, who in turn was looking at Ruthart with a
slack jaw. The young man sought out Belldandy and found her smiling at him
encouragingly. She blew him a kiss and then turned to Kazuki-chan, motioning
the METAT over to her.

"Is he telling the truth, lad?" The old gnome asked bluntly. "Will
you walk with an old gnome and help him realize his dreams?"

Keiichi weighed the gnome and chose his words carefully.

"If it is within my power and if your goals won't hurt others, then I
will do everything I can to see your dreams become a reality." He smiled
and placed his hands on the elder's shoulders. "As for walking with
you… I'm always looking to make new friends."

"That's all I needed to hear, lad." The old gnome patted Keiichi's
hand. "If you'll have me, then I'll follow you for however long my body
allows me."

"I would be honored to have you, Mister…." Keiichi offered
the gnome his hand and was surprised at the strength in the old codger's grip.

"Owan Dunwater, Lord Keiichi."

Keiichi nodded. "Just call me Keiichi, Owan. I'm not a lord."

"Not yet, lad." Owan grinned. "Not yet, but soon."

Arvandor

Mystra watched the scrying pool alongside her fellow gods and goddesses. Members
of the Seldarine were present at Arvandor's Looking Pool, watching Ranma's fragmented
journey with mixed pleasure. Sehanine and Hanali cooed over Ranma's female form
as she integrated herself into the day-to-day activities of the Temple of Stars.
Erevan Ilesere, the elven god of mischief, and Labelas Enoreth, the Coronal's
Sage, were drying tears and clutching their sides at the sight of poor, poor
Elminster and little Ranma Neko. Corellon and Selune did not share their mirth,
as they watched the male Ranma's battle with the orc warband play itself out
again.

Mystra took it all in and let the tears flow at the suffering of her dearly
beloved friend. With a snarl of hatred towards Shar and a healthy dose of wild
magic that left both Erevan and Labelas purple with orange pinstripes, the goddess
of magic spun and stalked away from the pool, intent on doing she knew not what.
She found her way barred by concerned Azuth and a very nervous Savras.

"Where do you intend to go, Lady Mystra?" Azuth's voice was cool
and even, in spite of his concern.

"My business is my own, Spell Maker," she growled. "Stand aside
that I might be about it!"

"With all love and respect, Great Lady, we cannot do that." Savras
cringed as Mystra's fiery gaze settled on him.

"Cannot, or will not, Seer?" Mystra's tone was volatile at best.
Everyone else in the pool's grove could feel her ire rising.

"Action in favor of the Weavebender or against Shar will have disastrous
results for the Weave," Azuth cautioned. "You must see that."

Mystra stepped back and searched the ebb and flow of Toril's magic and saw
the imbalance almost immediately. In places, such as the City of Shade, the
Underdark, and Thay, the Weave had constricted to a trickle. Other places, such
as Aglarond, Daerlun, and surprisingly enough Halruaa were all experiencing
a magical renaissance — especially in the intuitive disciplines like sorcery.
Everything was just as unsettled as Mystra felt.

"This love you hold, as pure and noble as it is, cannot be," Savras
ventured, gaining courage from Azuth's bold logic. "At least not until
the Weavebender has grown into his power and accepted his station. His mortality
and the imbalances it brings with it will continue to taint you and the Weave
until the very fabric of Magic itself is unraveled."

Mystra glowered at the god of seers and then turned her attention to Selune.
Hope was evident in her eyes, and the desperate emotion was broadcast to all in
attendance. Many looked away, unable to watch the goddess of magic's
heartbreak. Love was such a rare emotion. True love was something miraculous,
even to the gods. It was evident to any who cared to look that Mystra was
deeply in love with this fledgling deity.

"Can you not see how much he has already changed you?" Azuth asked
pointedly. "A year gone, your perspective was greater than it is today.
Magic was becoming balanced again and you had put aside the memories of your
humanity."

"They are right to be concerned, my daughter," Selune's matronly
voice was filled with understanding and warmth. "That is not to say that
you cannot love him. You will just have to find a new way to do so. One that
will not put all of Creation at risk."

Mystra sighed and felt her heart twist in her breast. Their reasoning was
sound and their logic totally without flaw. Should she follow her heart to
Ranma, the Weave would suffer. It had taken her great effort to finally restore
a semblance of normalcy to the Weave after the Time of Troubles, and even there
she hadn't fixed everything yet. Who could say what would happen if she
intervened on Ranma's behalf at such a crucial juncture in his development?

She could. He would become dependant on her, and her ideas would unduly
influence his sphere, causing magic to stagnate. There were other, darker possibilities
as well. But at the moment, the goddess of mysteries was having a hard time
seeing open warfare between the magical pantheon and Shar as a bad thing. Still,
such a course might cause others to side with the goddess of loss, which would
inevitably lead to open warfare between the gods in a way that would make the
Time of Troubles seem pleasant.

That would not be a good thing.

"What would you suggest?" She sighed in defeat. Ao's blood, her
heart ached!

Selune waved her hand over the pool, changing the view to an image of a
sleeping young woman in a carriage.

"You've an eighth daughter with a great capacity to love. Could she not
carry this part of you, as you have entrusted your other daughters to do?"

"Think also of the Weavebender's intentions." Azuth placed a
strong hand on Mystra's shoulder. "He has every desire of forsaking his
godhood. Given the chance, would he stay here with you or return to his own
world?"

"He doesn't know how I feel for him!" Mystra protested.

"Do you really think that would make a difference in the end?"
Azuth's quiet bluntness cut like a very sharp sword, but she couldn't fault his
cold logic.

Mystra, more than anyone else knew that, love or no love, Ranma would not
forsake his honor. He would indeed return to his world, if only to resolve the
conflict on his conscience. Still, a little more certainty before committing
herself to a set course would not be remiss. Ranma had done a wonderful job at
surprising her thus far, and she wouldn't put it past him to pull another
unexpected move on her. She looked to Savras expectantly. True, she had the
power to look herself, but at the moment she lacked the courage. The Divine
Seer closed his many eyes and shook his head in frustration.

"The Wild Horse bends probability like grass in a strong wind. There are
many paths and choices he could make, but they are just as dependent on the
choices you and others make. I cannot give you a stronger answer than that,
Lady of Mysteries."

Mystra nodded. It was more open-ended than she liked, but the answer didn't
surprise her one bit. For all the Order he tried to maintain within himself,
Chaos danced around Ranma like an excitable puppy. It would be next to impossible
to predict his course… as it had been since the godling had first arrived
here. Perhaps he would return to his world, knowing of her love. If he did,
it might inspire him not to forsake Toril altogether. One way or another, she
would have to make her feelings for him plain.

The goddess of magic nodded her head again and looked down at her youngest
daughter. And if he did choose to return to Earth and remain, then, at the very
least, a part of her might well go with him. She looked to the other gods one
last time before calmly leaving the pool's grove. She had an appointment in
Silverymoon to keep.

Lantan

Keiichi watched as the crowds finally began to disperse. The Lantanese
government had gathered around the leadership of Gond's church and began
debating heavily, while Gond looked on with mixed interest. Their discussions
carried loudly as the government fought over the fate of those that had
abandoned the Lord of Smiths in favor of Keiichi and the Norns. In the end,
there was no real doubt what the outcome would be. Lantan was claimed by Gond,
and his influence was deeply rooted.

The Council voted then and there, in the middle of the proving grounds. The
majority passed the motion to exile all those that refused to worship Gond,
and would subsequently close Lantan's borders to those not of the faith. Outnumbered
and afraid, the minority faction joined those that would be driven from the
Isles and found themselves welcomed warmly by the Norns. The only thing that
kept the Gondar from degenerating into a vicious mob were the majestic forms
of the goddesses and the clergy of Oghma.

It was a sad sight that made Keiichi want to cry. Families were divided,
lifelong friendships were sundered, and a community was destroyed. And he felt
completely responsible for it. Had he not had Belldandy at his side, Keiichi
knew that he would feel lost.

"This is my fault," he whispered. "I should have left the moment
that Mostana challenged Duncan."

"You may have been the catalyst, beloved, but the choice was still theirs."
Belldandy took his face in her hands and forced him to look her in the eyes.
"Change is wrought with pain, but only we can make it suffering. Look at
these wonderful people, my darling Keiichi. They are following their hearts."

"Yeah, but where are their hearts taking them?" he countered.

"That is where we, as those they have chosen to follow, come in. It is
our duty… no, our honor to guide them to a greater happiness."

"How do I do this, Bell? How do I become what you need… what they
need?"

Belldandy leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. The sensation was, for lack
of an appropriate word, heavenly. When she pulled away, her thumb trailed
gently along his bottom lip.

"All journeys begin with one step. All great buildings are made with
small bricks. You have within you a brightness of spirit, a power that is all
you. This power will grow little upon little. It will be unlocked by all of
your small choices. Let our love guide you, and let your love for those around
you drive you. True love will sustain you in the darkness. It will uphold you,
as it already has, during all of your challenges. Believe in that pure love and
there is nothing that you cannot do."

"Am I worthy of that love?" Keiichi asked self-consciously.
"I'm just a man… and a pretty pathetic one at that."

Belldandy, in response to his fears, kissed him with such passion and
emotion that a wave of love spread out from them, washing over those nearby.
When she broke the kiss both she and the love of her life were crying.

"Out of all beings throughout the vastness of Creation, I chose you. I
find you worthy of me. If anything, it is I who feel unworthy of you." She
smiled and looked down at his hands held tightly in her own. "After all
the hardship you've had to face because of me, you still love me."

Keiichi pulled her to him, unable to find words to express himself. It was
in this position that Kazuki-chan found them. The moment was broken, but the
afterglow lingered.

"Father?"

PHSSSSSH!

"Yes, Kazuki-chan?" Keiichi answered patiently.

"We're all packed."

PHSSSSSH!

"Who told you to pack?" Keiichi asked. The METAT pointed a giant
finger at Belldandy.

"Mommy said that we were going on a trip."

PHSSSSSH!

Keiichi grinned at the growing blush on Belldandy's cheeks.

"'Mommy' huh?" The Norn of the Present bit her lip self-consciously,
but her fears were wiped away by a gentle kiss. "I really like the sound
of that."

"I'll just bet you do, pervert," Skuld's voice hissed from behind
the couple. Keiichi stiffened and waited for his punishment. To his wonder,
Skuld merely punched him lightly in the arm.

"How else do expect them to make you 'Auntie Skuld', squirt?" Urd's
catty grin could have been described as "shameless" at best.

"'Auntie Skuld?'"

The Norn of the future looked up at Kazuki-chan and squealed with joy. It
wasn't until she started mumbling about "upgrades" and
"enhancements" that Keiichi started to really worry. Those concerns
fell by the wayside as Duncan and Sam arrived in the company of Bertrold,
Kerden, Ruthart, and Sister Maerdith. For the first time since coming to Toril,
Keiichi felt as though he was among family. Looking between Belldandy and
Kazuki-chan, that feeling grew even more. He had something to grow for. He had
something to fight for. No matter what the future held for him, he knew what he
wanted. He might not feel worthy of Belldandy's love, but he was going to do
everything in his power to become worthy.

No matter how long it took.

Silverymoon

Usagi woke in a strange, yet deliciously comfortable bed. The covers were
warm and she found herself in a light cotton nightgown that she didn't remember
putting on. Worrisome as that was, what concerned her more was the fact that
she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was Broan's body
and crying on the mountainside.

She pulled the bed curtains aside and peeked out to better judge her situation.
The room she found herself in was larger than both her old room and her parents'
room back home; and as she looked around cautiously, she was surprised to see
a beautiful woman, with dark, flowing hair and radiant skin, sitting near an
open window. She wore a simple, yet elegantly cut strapless indigo dress that
seemed almost black in the glowing, golden light of evening. A filmy, web-like
shawl was wrapped around her shoulders and held together by a jeweled broach
in the shape of an eight-pointed star. Usagi was enthralled by her beauty, and
couldn't help but feel plain when compared to this woman's voluptuous magnificence.

"Are you feeling better, Usagi?" The woman turned away from the
window and smiled at the girl peeking out from behind the bed curtains. Usagi
only nodded. "That is good to know. I have had my own encounters with
Kelemvor in the past and, while not all of them were pleasant, I am rather fond
of the brute."

"You're talking about that man in the armor." Usagi ventured.

"Yes." The woman stepped away from the window and crossed the
length of the room to stand before the bed. "Do you mind if I sit with
you?"

Usagi shook her head and pulled the drapes open, so that the woman could sit
on the bed with her. Once she was settled, the woman took a moment to study
Usagi intently leaving the young woman feeling very small. As cliché as it sounded,
it was as if the woman was reading her soul or something.

"You've so much of your mother in you," the woman whispered. Usagi
was surprised to see tears forming in her companion's eyes.

"My mother?"

"Yes. Elue was and yet remains a magnificent woman."

"Um… no offense, but I think you're mistaken." Usagi bit her lip,
and smiled uncomfortably.

"Oh, and why do you say that?" The woman's smile went a long way
to easing Usagi's growing nervousness.

"Well, it's just that I'm not from around here."

"That is certainly true." The woman nodded. "Azabu-Juuban is
a very long way from Silverymoon, after all."

"How… How do you know about that?" Usagi shifted, all her previous
discomfort returning with a vengeance.

"You'd be surprised about the things that I know." The woman's smile
became extremely mysterious, hinting at secrets, but revealing nothing. "Suffice
it to say, daughter, that I know your history better than you do."

Usagi felt her discomfort shoot through the roof.

"Who are you?" she asked. The woman smiled and pulled her silky black
hair over one ear.

"I've many names, Usagi. Just as you are gaining many names."
There was a twinkle of merriment in her eyes as she ticked off Usagi's titles
one by one. "Serenity, Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Moon.
Neo-Serenity. The Silver Princess. The Silver Lady. The Lady of Hemmerling.
Kelemvor's Bane. Serenity Silverhand. The Eighth Star. Silvermaid."

Usagi frowned petulantly as each title was named. All she wanted was a name
to call this woman, and here she was making fun of her.

"You will gain more as time moves forward, just as all my daughters have.
Just as I have." The woman's grin softened. "But I did not answer
your question, did I?"

Usagi shook her head slowly.

"It is not my way to give away secrets and with good reason. One of my
names is Lady of Mysteries, and others have been known to call me the One True
Way. However, I am, and always shall favor being called mother."

Usagi just looked at her blankly, uncertain of how to take the woman's loopy
answer.

"What should I call you?" she asked tentatively. This seemed
to please the woman greatly.

"Very good! The key to unraveling mysteries is finding the correct
questions to ask." The woman patted Usagi's knee. "While I wear this
face, you may call me Midnight."

Usagi grinned skeptically. "You have more than one face?"

"Of course, child."

Usagi was astounded as the woman's form shimmered for a moment to become her
mother Serenity. She shifted again to take on the appearance of an old
gray-haired woman, and then again to become a silver-bearded man. The shifting
continued on and on until Usagi started to get nauseous. At the end of it all a
symbol, constituting eight stars orbiting a watery/fiery image, etched itself
out of silver flame in the air above the bed, leaving the young woman
disoriented and confused.

"I have as many faces as I need, in order to interact with those that
worship me." The woman's voice was just as rich as before, but somehow, it
was filled with even more mystery.

"You are a kami," Usagi whispered. There was a feeling of benevolence
backing the power before her, and she bowed her head to the mattress in reverence
of the entity.

"Yes." It was such a simple and straightforward answer, yet it
left Usagi hungering to know more.

"Did you bring me here?"

"No, child."

"Can you send me home?" Usagi felt hope welling in her heart.

"I have the power to do this." The voice grew a bit sad. "Are
you so anxious to leave this place?"

Usagi frowned at the loneliness in the voice coming from the flames.

"Yes, and no," she admitted. "I've made a lot of new friends
here, but I miss the friends I have back home too. It's not that I want to leave,
either — it's just that I have other responsibilities back home that need
to be taken care of."

"Crystal Tokyo," the voice said matter-of-factly. "Not so unlike
Alustriel's dream. You could learn much from your sister."

"Sister? I don't have any sisters. A bratty brother, yes… but sisters?
No way." Usagi frowned. The symbol shimmered again, resuming the form and
shape of Midnight.

"On the contrary, Usagi. You have seven sisters."

"How is that possible? My mother wasn't married before, and she would
have said something about seven other daughters to me."

"I am not speaking of Ikuko Tsukino's daughters. I am talking about the
children of Elue Shaundar, the woman you know as Serenity Silverhand, Queen of
the Moon Kingdom."

"Queen Serenity had seven other daughters?"

"Yes. Before she was sent from this world, Elue housed my power for a
time. During our brief co-existence, she became pregnant with eight children.
Six were born from her on this world, the seventh was taken from the womb and
given to another, and you, the eighth child, were taken with Elue when she was
forced to leave this world."

Usagi looked pole-axed. It was like learning you were adopted… only worse.

"Why did she have to leave?"

"My power had weakened her body. It was just too much for one person to
hold, and she grew sickly. Rather than lose her, I sent her away so that she
could have a chance at living out the rest of her life. When she left, she took
a piece of me with her in her womb and another that she crafted into a mighty
artifact."

Midnight smiled and shrugged. "If you are intent on leaving us, I would
at least like you to know of your origins."

"And if I choose to stay for a while?"

"Then I will close my mouth and let you learn the rest on your
own."

"You mean there's more?"

"There is always more, daughter." Midnight winked at Usagi. "Always."

Usagi worried her lip and scratched her cheek.

"Do you still wish to leave, Serenity?" Midnight asked.

"Someday…" She looked at the window hesitantly.
"Perhaps."

"Then there is little doubt that someday, perhaps, you shall."
Midnight's smile was warm and loving, and filled with unconditional acceptance.
"For now I am content that the Eighth Mystery is returned to Faerun."

"Not another one!" Usagi rolled her eyes and flopped back on her
pillows. Midnight laughed richly. After her laughter died down, she allowed
herself to fall to the bed on her side and stared intently at Usagi again.

"What is it?" Usagi finally asked.

"I would like you to become one of my Chosen, as your sisters
are."

"Does it require me to defend love and justice?"

Midnight laughed and shook her head. "No, I am afraid those virtues belong
to others." The dark-haired woman rolled onto her back and pillowed her
head in the palms of her hands. "No. As my Chosen, you would house a portion
of my power and act as a guardian of the Weave."

Midnight surprised her by smiling. "It was my hope that this would someday
become your home."

"I don't mean to be rude or ungrateful, but I can't just abandon the
Earth. People are counting on me! I have responsibilities and
obligations." The goddess did not respond, instead she simply settled
herself to listen to Usagi.

"I mean, I'm their princess and we protect the whole planet." Usagi
took a deep breath and began ticking off points on her fingers. "Then there's
Crystal Tokyo and my mom and dad, and Shingo, and getting Minako and Makoto
boyfriends, and Mamo-chan! Oh, man! Mamo-chan's got to be going nuts!
We were destined to be together, you see, and now that I'm here… do you
think he'll forget me? Will he find someone else?"

Midnight shrugged. "The heart is a fickle thing, whether it beats in the
chest of a man or a woman. What do you think will happen?"

"I… I don't know." Usagi could already feel the tears building in
the corners of her eyes. "If he thought I was dead… if they thought I was
dead… they would try to move on. And it's already been so long!" The
tears were falling freely now and Usagi felt herself gathered into a warm,
loving hug. She gave herself over to the urge to cry and wrapped her arms
around Midnight's waist. "It was supposed to be different. Everything was
perfectly fine! I was happy!"

"Destiny is as fickle as the heart, Usagi. It is not a power or a force
that dictates our lives. It is a journey that is made up of millions of tiny
decisions day in and day out." Midnight rubbed the small of Usagi's back
comfortingly. "If it is your desire to return to the place of your birth,
I am certain that one day you shall. But the happiness that you seek to claim
may not await you."

"What should I do?" Usagi clutched the soft fabric of Midnight's
dress in her fists.

"I cannot tell you, daughter." Midnight stroked Usagi's hair. "I
can counsel you. I can tell you what I would have you do, but what you should
do, I cannot say. Agency is such a precious gift, and not even the Divinities
have the power to thwart it." The goddess of magic pushed Usagi to arm's
length and began to wipe her tears away. "The tasks that I will set before
you won't be easy to bear, but neither will they be without merit."

"What types of things do you want me to do?" Usagi asked. Her
voice seemed very small and distant.

"Only those things that you are best suited to. Love. Protect. Aid
those who are in need. I will give you a part of myself to guard and nurture —
a part of me that is very precious and dear. I would have you learn about magic
in its many forms and to help it thrive in this world as your sisters do.
Beyond that, there is only one other thing that I would have you do."

She waved her hand and a shimmering image of a very familiar stormy-eyed
young man sprang to life between them.

"Ranma?" Usagi whispered. "I've dreamed about him!"

"Handsome fellow, isn't he?" Mystra smirked at Usagi's blush.
"He is much like you in many ways: a noble heart and a loving soul, who
lost in a world not his own. Torn from the life that he knew, he was brought
here just as you were and now must endure the many changes that circumstance
has thrown at him."

"He's trapped here too?"

"Yes. And I would have you help him to deal with his troubles."

"Why me?"

"Who better, daughter?" Midnight's smile was wondrous to behold.
It was open and loving, and so full of confidence. "You and he share much
in common. He is alone on this world, as are you. He is tied to magic in ways
not so unlike you. He has a desire to protect the weak and the innocent from
harm. And most importantly, he needs a good friend."

"How would I find him? I mean, the world is a pretty big place."

"Your paths will cross soon enough. All that I ask of you is to be his
friend. Protect him from the bitterness that solitude brings, and give him a
shoulder to lean on. Guard him from those that would exploit him and from those
that would see him dead. Will you accept this first and most important task,
daughter?"

Usagi left the bed and walked to a set of balcony doors. She opened them
after a moment and stepped out onto the terrace that overlooked a magnificent
city. Thoughts and fears danced in her mind and in her heart, and she found
herself wrestling with the familiar feelings of obligation and desire. Midnight
came up behind her and Usagi felt the woman's strong arms wrap around her waist
from behind.

"What troubles you, daughter?"

"I'm scared," Usagi admitted.

"Of what?"

"Of not being able to see my friends and home again." She sighed
and leaned her head back against the taller woman's chest. "Of being
trapped here."

"Are you afraid that I will keep you here against your will?" Usagi
frowned and turned her head away. "Look at me, child."

Usagi turned and looked into the eyes of the goddess. Twin pools of stars
looked back at her, and she felt herself falling into them.

"You are my daughter. Flesh and spirit. I would never enslave you or hold
you where you would not wish to be. If I did, I would not be worthy of your
love, nor would I have the right to call myself your mother."

Usagi laid her head over Midnight's heart. It was odd, but there was no heartbeat…
only the undeniable warmth of love and acceptance. Usagi let herself bathe in
the sensation, taking strength from it.

"I can't turn my back on someone who needs my help," she said at
last. "But it feels like I'm betraying a sacred trust. It feels like I'm
walking out on my friends."

"What would they have you do if they were here now?" Midnight
whispered softly.

"They would want me to follow my heart."

"And what is your heart telling you to do?"

Usagi looked into the depths of Midnight's eyes again. Eternity stared back
at her and she was overwhelmed at what she saw reflected there. As separate and
superior as this entity was from her, Usagi saw herself in Midnight's eyes. She
could not deny her kinship to the goddess, nor could she turn her back on that
tie. There was no doubt that this was the path that she had to take. It would
get her home.

She was certain of it.

But the price she would be forced to pay would be incalculable. Was she strong
enough? Something she hadn't felt in ages bloomed in her heart and mind. Hope
for the future and an unquenchable thirst for life filled her. She smiled brightly
up at the woman and said the only thing that she could possibly say in that
moment. "I accept, mother."

There had been few times in recorded history when the Mother of Magic had truly
wept. Each could be counted on one human hand. Yet, each time she had, it had
been for the faith and love so freely offered her by those she considered her
children. "You will be changed by this."

Usagi nodded bravely.

"It will break you and reshape you. You will weep for the mountain of
pain you bear and cry out in ecstasy for the pleasure you will feel. You will
become a new person, without losing who you were. Are you truly ready?"

Her lips brushed Usagi's forehead and the world burst into a ball of
incandescent flames — the flames of renaissance.

Usagi screamed and shot into the evening sky like a rocket. High over Silverymoon
a new star exploded to life, heralding the rebirth of the Eighth Sister. From
as far away as Mithril Hall, her advent was seen and recorded by the sages.
A sense of love and peace washed over the lands surrounding Silverymoon. And
in the dying light of day, the lame and infirm leapt from their sickbeds, the
beloved dead returned to life, and greater signs and wonders befell the Silver
Marches. Yet those select few that were close enough to witness the fires of
the small star, remembered one event with clarity: all could see a horse, white
as the driven snow and as wild as the wind, dancing on its hind legs in the
air around the Eighth Sister.